Qeya River četiri

His heart was buoyed at the sight of her. He relaxed his shoulders so that he might dip into a playbow but before he could, she closed the distance and something about her expression shifted. He had only time enough to come to a halt and tilt his head when she closed the space between them, and reached for his jaw with a feathering of light nips. He felt heat burn in his cheeks, and almost impulsively reached to return the gesture, but a thought hit him so suddenly that he froze and blurted it out.

"You're not leaving too, are you?" 

He interpreted the gentle gesture as an apology, a way of lessening the blow. Ears tilted sideways, he drew back so he could read her expression, soft hurt in his eyes.