Unspoken Apologies

Kheta found him first.

She came walking up the path just as the sun began to bleed orange and gold across the sky, painting the distant hills in shades of fire and shadow. Taye was sitting on a fallen log near the edge of the camp, his back to the others, his hands clasped loose between his knees. He had been staring at nothing for the better part of an hour, his mind a hollow chamber where echoes of broken trust rattled and faded.

Kheta stopped a few feet away. Her footsteps had been soft, deliberate, the kind that wanted to announce presence without demanding attention. Taye did not turn around. He felt her hesitate, heard her shift her weight from one foot to the other, heard the small sigh that escaped her lips before she finally spoke.