~ ZARA ~
Hours later, as I swept into the ballroom and Ash peeled off to station himself at the wall with the other Defenders, I could finally breathe a little easier.
Strange how the spectacle of this place didn't seem nearly as intimidating as it had just a couple of weeks ago.
As I walked deeper into the ballroom, all senses alert for David even though I was almost certain he wouldn't be there yet, I found myself focused not on how I looked, or what others were thinking of me… but of how shallow the whole machine was.
Something had happened to me. As if finally having David, finally being certain of him had shifted my world on its axis.
I knew I was different from these people. I knew I didn't speak or act the way they did. But… under all the manners, careful words, and flashy clothing, David was still just a man. He loved and ached and slept and farted and… He was human.
