Her hair smelt of her shampoo; rose water and lavender. Her heart beat quickly against her chest, and she wasn't quite sure why. "I love you too," she responded quietly as their car gradually came to a stop. She pulled away from him, but caught his hand and squeezed it before letting go, feeling a desperate need to reassure him.
He glanced at her with a affectionate look before opening the door and stepping out. There was a light breeze in the air, which caused him to instinctively put his hands in his pockets.
Poppy got out on her side, and closed the door behind her before coming around to his side. "I might go to bed when we get in there," she said to him quietly as they started to walk into the ship. "Just because we have to wake up early, and because I'm lame."
He put his arm around her, a bit hesitant. "Actually... There's something I would like to talk about before."
A series of emotions crossed her face. Shock. Anger. Eventually though, it seemed to settle on sadness, and she looked down at the ground. "Oh," she said, her voice small.
She was quiet for a moment, considering his words. "Yeah," she said quietly, squeezing his hand. "Yeah. I'm okay." She took a deep breath before looking up at him. "How... uh... how much did he tell you?"
"No, God. Please don't apologize. I was going to tell you anyways, I just..." She inhaled deeply. Her next words came out in a rush like they were being torn from her throat. "I'm not broken though, you know."
She took his hands, and looked down at them, her expression conflicted. "People always look at you like you're something to be pitied after something like that," she said quietly. "Like you're less than what you were before it happened." She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes sorrowful, but the rest of her face desperately trying to hide it, her chin tilted defiantly. "It's just something that happened. That's it."
"I don't think you're broken," he said. "I don't think you're anything less of amazing. My opinion on you didn't change when I learned."
She looked up at him for a moment before reaching up to kiss him. "Thank you," she said quietly, her eyes looking into his. "Thank you."
He tasted like wine, and brushed her hair back gently. "Let's go to our rooms. I'm sure we're both pretty tired at this point."
"Right," she said quietly, taking his hand and beginning to walk. She seemed to be deep in thought as they walked, her thumb making slow circles on the back of his hand.
He was quiet, not really wanting to break the silence. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, his voice soft.
