Ressler didn't look at her, he just couldn't, and being torn about this situation was written all over his face, like so often when it came to her, even on the job. She made him say things he wouldn't even think of when it came to other agents. Try to cheer her up in the most professional manner as possible, trying to be her mentor. He had no idea, no logical explanation why he felt so obliged to do that, even though giving advice was part of the job description when one had more experience. However with Liz it had always been different and it always had irritated him. In the end he had gotten used to the permanent gnawing on his nerves.
Yet Liz saw this expression for the first time which he always had managed to hide, when having no idea if he was doing the right thing, saying something helpful, trying to make her feel better without showing his attachment. Right here, right now he had failed. It took him some time to realize that she was still there and once again she confused, irritated him, made him feel, and hurt. And with that heartrending mixture he looked at her, making her close her eyes and shake her head, being once more confronted with the enigma that was Ressler.
"If you really want me to leave, you shouldn't look at me like that", she heard herself say, while asking why the hell she was still standing on that spot instead of killing the distance and kissing him again.
Somehow she was paralyzed, just like him. Maybe because they both knew that this was a one way cross-road and neither of them had expected the weight that to make the air damper. Just like their stubbornness appeared to be additional weight to their feet.
Donald sighed and turned away to apparently grab his beer, but instead he took the unopened bottle to pop off the lid and hold it out to her, without giving Liz one single glance. At least this made her move slowly, though her mind was definitely racing, trying to interpret his behavior right now, while he tried to erase that kiss from his mind, which was impossible with his thoughts circling around it. So being used to automatic behavior he just went with it, taking his beer from next to the fridge with his eyes glued to the ground and turned towards the TV that was still running. Ressler could feel her eyes burning on his skin, watching him in disbelief as the just continued functioning.
He was absolutely right about her expression, and he knew it, since he had watched her ever since her first day on their team. Ressler didn't need to look at her to be sure about her being taken aback about his behavior and that was just what needed to happen, to straighten out the lines again. What he wasn't aware of, what he couldn't notice was how Liz's expression changed following him moving around and back to the couch, because this time she got it, she got him, and his defense mechanism and this time she wouldn't allow herself to be fooled by him again.
And because of that she used her advantage of being uninjured and therefore faster, to place her bottle on the low table next to the remote, after taking a huge gulp, before he had finished his war around the furniture. Ressler had no chance to avoid looking at her or sit down because she was blocking the way.
"You… want something to eat?"
Liz suppressed a slight smile as she called him trying to cover up his surprise. She refused him an answer to that, and reached out instead to take his bottle which he tried to place down as well with gritting his teeth as that movement seemed to hurt him. He flinched slightly as her fingers touched his, swallowing down the piercing pain that sudden tension created in his side and his eyes fled from hers.
"I'll take a look", his voice was more lowly now and he already was about to turn away, as he realized that she had cheated, because she had managed to replace his bottle of beer with her other hand and Donald eyes needed to double check his fingers.
"Liz", despite that short sound his voice still broke, maybe because he said her name for the first time, and of course it was meant to tell her that this wasn't a good idea, because it wasn't the right thing, but still his tone expressed more emotion that he ever had intended.
She pulled him towards her, moving into his direction at the same time and caught his face with both of her hands before she thought he was able to react. How could she already have missed the way his mouth felt against hers? She almost forgot that she hadn't expected him to not fight her, that he simply would close his eyes and kiss her back softly in defeat. And Liz definitely hadn't reckoned what this would do to her, that it would made her pull him closer, and nestle herself against him. Her heart beat sped up to much quicker due to the fact that she made him defenseless and she wouldn't let him get away this time, not even when his hands stayed at his sides. She would make them move.
Donald did see it coming like watching an upcoming train hitting a car he was sitting in, watching her move in slow motion still being so much faster than him. He didn't have the slightest chance to react and he didn't want to. At all. Her lips tasted exactly like he remembered and it felt like they had never even left his. Before he was able to move he could already feel her body against his and he forgot how to breathe.
