—–

She had just stalked past him for the bedroom when he cleared his throat and said-

"If I asked you a question, would you answer?"

She turned. "Does this one count?"

His head came up, his eyes weary. Or perhaps, instead, wary. And that made her sad.

"Yes, I'll answer," she said, facing him now. The beautiful light spilled across the floor from the imposing windows, though he'd apparently closed one set of curtains. She didn't know what she was committing herself too, but perhaps the two of them deserved full disclosure for once.

"If you knew all this time…" She braced herself, but he trailed off and shook his head. "No, that's not my question. That's not even all that important, compared to this one."

"This one?"

"Are you…" His chest flared, broadened as he took a deep enough breath to sustain him for the answer. "Are you ever gonna want to be with me?"

She was stunned into silence.

He pushed off his knees and stood, as if needing to face it like a man. His hands hung at his sides, his face slack but his eyes roughly avoiding her, coming back, shuttered.

"Does now work?" she asked.

He blinked, his head turned away, chin pointed as if absorbing a blow, but his eyes came again to her. "What?" The intensity of that word had her taking a step back, but he strode forward, blocked for the moment by furniture, the couches and tables and chairs between them. "You answered my question with a question."

She pressed her fingertips to the ridge of one of her ribs, fighting for breath amidst the terrible jarring of her heart. "We're not - too late you think?"

Another jerky stride forward, his knee catching a side table so that he had to hastily right a swaying lamp. "That's another question."

She was very bad at this. "I'm not doing it on purpose."

"Yes, you are." He cleared the sitting room and was in front of her in seconds. Eyes burning. Mouth a harsh deep line. "You are doing it on purpose. Just answer the question."

"Yes."

His chest rose and fell. Arms flexed, fists made at his sides and releasing again. "Yes?"

"Could it be now?" she said, trying to pitch her voice above the jittery rattle of her heart. "I'm so tired of not being good enough and I just-"

She broke off, expecting - not this. Not anger. Not the stone on his face. Not the total lack of movement.

She had, actually, thought he might kiss her.

He wasn't.

—–