Several days passed.
There was a gathering in the village that day. He usually preferred quiet places, places of depth — not spaces filled with people and shallow noise. But something called him in. Or… rather someone. The possibility that he could meet her there. And that was much stronger than any discomfort he felt. So he felt it less like a decision, and more like following a quiet calling — like a resonance between someone calling him in, and him willingly stepping into that call.
He noticed her coming his way. He saw in her eyes both a joy to see him, and a little uncertainty — as if she wasn't sure whether her coming was truly welcome. When she reached him, he saw in her eyes that aching self-doubt. He was surprised by what she felt, as he was more than pleased to see her again. He was hoping to see her again. And he told her so.
They talked. He felt her trust in him in each and every word she shared — and even more deeply in her soft energy behind those words. Beneath it all, he could sense how tired and quietly aching she was.
He was as he always was — or rather, a better expression of himself, because being near her amplified his inner light again, just as it did when they first met.
Not knowing her well yet, and even though careful, he happened to touch some of her wounds. In those moments, she turned away from him, feeling the pain in her wounds. But she always returned to him almost instantly, with gentle trust in her eyes again.
He was quietly amazed by her energy, by the way she simply was. He noticed how beautiful she was as a whole being — her inner beauty expressing itself through her outer beauty. She seemed not of this world. But when she moved among others, her energy suddenly changed and she seemed so distant, not that close as with him anymore.
There was a lot of noise at the gathering, so they didn't even have a chance to talk much. And then a storm came, and their paths had to split again. As they waved goodbye, he saw in her soft look a gentle whisper to him, "I hope to see you soon again."