She’d known all along of course...but buried the knowledge under the star bursts of hope that bloomed whenever he smiled at her.  (God, how she loved that crease curving from his nose to the corner of his mouth –  a small detail burned forever in her heart’s picture of him.)
Spikes of unease at being so besotted and vulnerable were soothed away as his southern drawl wooed her soul but it was just a matter of time. The axe fall of final rejection cut deep.
                                    We crave acceptance,
                                    Seeking truth behind the eyes.
                                    Rejection wounds us