gwen spots andrea without really meaning to.

the barbecue has most of woodbury out in the street — people laughing, kids running down the road. loud in the way it gets when everyone’s trying very hard to believe things are normal.

she watches for a second, doesn't move.

andrea looks like she can’t quite decide which side she belongs on yet, and gwen understands that feeling.

eventually she drifts closer, weaving through the small crowd until she's standing right behind milton.

"please tell me he's not complaining about the freezers again."

milton glances at her, gives a small sigh, and then excuses himself — leaving the two women alone.

gwen offers andrea a quick, crooked smile.

"you look like i did my first week here," she says. "like you can’t quite believe it’s real."

her fingers hook into the edge of her sleeve as her gaze drifts back toward the street.

"i lived in a little town like this," she says after a moment. "when i was little. kind of thought the whole world was about this size."

a small shrug.

"then my dad and i moved to new york, and it turned out the world was a lot bigger than i thought."

she glances back at andrea.

"but after everything fell apart… suddenly the only thing anyone was doing was trying to survive again. and the world got small all over."

another pause.

"places like this start to feel like something out of a dream after that, don't they? but.. life goes on, even when it gets heavy."

she shifts her weight, offering andrea another faint smile.

Memes!!!!!