dan was momentarily stunned into silence. he'd never had a problem with simply talking to other people; expected pleasantries fell gracefully from his tongue, and benevolent smiles were no stranger to his lips. but spouting meaningless small-talk was nothing like spilling the truth.
zoe stared at him anxiously, her hands trembling. dan worried that she was too cold.
his eyes flicked up to the sky. a vast expanse of steel blue, as open and overwhelming as ever. he always felt better when he looked at the sky.
a smile crept across his face. "okay. sure."
zoe was shivering now, teeth clattering and hands tucked safely in her coat pockets. the snow was beginning to fall harder.
dan didn't want to leave the playground yet. he didn't want to say goodbye to the ghosts of the past or see a ceiling when he looked up in search of the sky.
but she was miserable.
"come on," dan said, hopping off his swing. he waited for zoe to climb off her swing and join him on the pavement.
"where are we going?" she asked as she wound her scarf tighter around her neck.
"somewhere warm."