beside the planter. Nobody needed to step around us, and the music reached us softly enough that we could hear each other breathe. Her hand settled on my shoulder. Mine found the middle of her back.
For the first few moments, we moved awkwardly.
I knew how to walk beside Elise carrying groceries. I knew where she stood in my kitchen when she wanted to complain about work. I did not know how to hold her when the reason had nothing to do with comfort or necessity, and the difference
