She’d been standing there, waiting for him, all night…and yet, she was surprised when he arrived.

The headlights flashing against the empty walls.

She didn’t understand them.

The footsteps setting a hollow cadence on the front walk.

She didn’t recognize them.

The hesitant knocks thumping inconsistently on the front door.

She didn’t know what to do.

Standing there in the empty hallway, suddenly unsure of herself, she forgot what she had set out to do. She forgot what she wanted to say. She forgot everything except the sound of him waiting outside.

She opened the door and stepped back.

“Jim.”