I didn't want this moment to pass, and luckily it wouldn't as quickly, given how many stairs we had to go down.
So I stayed in the little dark space between his hoodie and neck.
The slight up and down made me drowsy, ready to doze off at any moment, but it would be such a shame to miss the puppy's first trembling steps toward my outstretched hand.
I again had the urge to ask, the need to know, the want to make it all right again, and the fear of separation when we would arrive at the end of the staircase.
But I stopped myself, remaining in my position of reaching out my hand without stepping forward.
Today was our first date; no need to overdo it.
Up and down, descending downward, step for step, slowly but surely, to our date at a horror movie location, and we eventually arrived downstairs.
The heartbeat I felt continuously distanced itself when I was placed in the wheelchair in the lobby.
