They walk down the hall together, side by side, dodging the crowd. She entangles her arm in his; he offers her his hand, and she takes it. As their fingers lace together, the world around her falls away.

She wants to smile at him, but her lips part slightly instead, words trying to push their way through. They dissolve on her tongue, and she closes her mouth again. There's so much she wants to say... if only she could.

She wants him to know how much she wishes she could do for him, how much she would give up to help him. She wishes she could shield him from the world, take the bullets upon herself instead. She would endure a hundred times his pain without flinching if it would make things even just the slightest bit easier for him.

She would give up her life in a heartbeat if it could save his.

He doesn't 'mean the world to her;' he is her world.

She never wants to leave his side.

He has told her these things before, but she doesn't know how to get the words past her own lips.

He is watching her, expectant, waiting to hear what she's thinking.

"I love you," is all she can say. She smiles.

He smiles back and squeezes her hand. "I love you too."

And she knows that they both see what lies beneath those three little words.