001

Her heart slammed into her stomach.  Her throat constricted. Her eyes began to swim in the growing pools of tears. Breath was hard to catch. They were pacing toward her. There were no words and no escape. His eyes still had that gleam when they met hers.
Would he see her pain? Could she recover in the time it took the couple to close the gulf between her quaking body and their smug companionship?
Fine, she thought, you'll be fine.
Just a moment to wrestle some oxygen into her desperate lungs before...
"Izzy!" and she was grabbed into a squeeze -which would have been considered a hug had there been any real affection on either end of it. She used her arms to put some distance between herself and this phony.
"Hey Jess," the cracking of her voice was minimal, thankfully, "How are you?"
"Tim.." she extended her hand, "it has been forever."
As his hand met hers she hoped he would not notice the goose-pimples that crept up her arm despite the heat of the day.
"Something like that," he grinned, "so, Izzabelle, what are you doing in these parts?"
"I've been working on a fountain installation piece at City Garden down here. What brings you to the heat of a Georgia spring?"
As their hands finally parted she felt the monarchs in her middle fly toward her cheeks...

-TBC-