And she wanted nothing more than to just lean against him and embrace him and do what she could to make the tension go away, even if she had a fair amount of her own too. But her legs were tired and his feet were battered and he had an unraveling bandage on his leg.

Maybe the tension should wait.

She had to blink rapidly a moment to keep the tears at bay, then composed herself, glad he couldn't see her. Then she continued with what she was doing, starting with the back of his neck, cleaning the ash off his back first, then off his arms.