Gemotions

He found her in the university archives. They were both researching the same obscure historical figure, and the evidence lay strewn across the table: the same faded letters, the same photographs, the same interpretations, painstakingly written. Her face was pale.

He cleared his throat. "I… didn't realize." He felt a tightening in his chest. His own months of research seemed somehow diminished.

She looked up, her gaze steady. She pushed a chair toward him. "Come, let's compare notes," she said quietly. She noticed his trembling hands as he began to explain his findings.

She organized the documents, pointing out the various inconsistencies and missing pieces that he had discovered. Then she did the same with her own notes. She took his hands, reassuringly, and they together began to formulate a plan.