He rubbed the bridge of his nose, exhaustion pulling at his limbs. The day had been brutal. A patrol had been ambushed by monstrous orcs from the Dragon’s Grave Pass. Three men dead. He had spent the afternoon burying them, his hands blistered from the shovel. All he wanted was to collapse. But more than that, he wanted to touch her. Just a brush of his fingers against her cheek. Just to feel her warmth.
Her lips parted in shock. A tear spilled down her cheek. "B-but you… you sleep on the f-floor." Under The Oak Tree Manga
But "near" was a torturous distance.
Her face paled. "Oh. I… I am s-sorry." She bit her lower lip, a gesture that drove him mad. "Is… is there anything I c-can do?" He rubbed the bridge of his nose, exhaustion
She stared at him, her large, doe-like eyes wide. Then, slowly, tremblingly, she raised a hand. Her fingers hovered over his scarred cheek. "Y-you are n-not a brute," she breathed. "You are… you are my h-husband." Three men dead
The silence stretched for an eternity.