Lan thought of how safe she felt with Zen, how gentle he was with her. How his presence could light up her world and speed up her heart, and how she had come to gravitate toward him like the moon to the sun. Of how his touch reached through the layers of imperfection and tragedy this life had conferred upon her and reminded her of hope. Of how she trusted him. All the terrible stories and unwanted memories peeled away from her, and she found within herself an instinct, guiding her like a lodestone.
