Staring at the water that surrounds Atlantis from one of its many balconies, Rosalie is stuck in a inner fight that has been going on for the last three months. Ever since they began their arrangement, she has been fighting against her heart, with its growing feelings for Evan, and her head, with its analytical way of analyzing the whole situation.
If, on one side, she has her heart telling her that she loves him and that she should tell him, on the other she has her head telling her that he only sees her as his best friend. And lets face it, the nights she spends with him don't help her coming to a decision.
She doesn't want to lose him. That would be the worse thing that could happen, but she also knows that she can't go on like this for much longer. This indecision of her is tearing her apart and it's bound to, sooner or later, take its tool on her friendship with him.
The door to the balcony opens and Rosalie looks over her shoulder to see Sheppard walking in.
-"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you."
-"It's okay. You can join me if you want." - Rosalie tells him, looking back at the water, sadness in her voice.
-"You okay?"
-"I'm okay. Just needed to be alone for a bit."
-"Did something happen?"
-"Just homesick." - Rosalie says, it not being a complete lie. She's just not ready to say what's really happening with her.
-"We all go through it at some point." - Sheppard acknowledges. - "I know it can't be easy for you, specially after being on your own for so long."
-"To be honest, it used to be harder, mostly because I didn't know if I would ever go home again. Now, even though I know I can go home, part of me doesn't want to out of fear that I might never be able to return."
-"You can always return to Atlantis. The city will always be here waiting for you, and so will everybody in it." - Sheppard tells her, his mind going straight to Lorne.
-"Thanks, Sheppard."
Rosalie smiles and gives him a hug, feeling him hug her back tight, surprising her. She has to admit, even if that wasn't the original reason that brought her to that balcony, it felt good knowing that, should anything happen, she will always have a place in Atlantis waiting for her.
What neither Rosalie or Sheppard noticed was that Evan had walked in on them in the exact moment they were hugging each other, and was a little too quick in jumping to conclusions. He left the balcony before either could see him and made his way down the corridor, needing to be alone.
As he walks the corridors that will lead him to his quarters, the image of Sheppard hugging Rosie is seared into his brain, and he realizes that she is no longer just his best friend, but maybe something else. Something more.
Letting the door to his quarters close behind him, Evan racks a hand through his hair as he comes to the conclusion that he will always just be Rosie's best friend, nothing more, as it is clear to him that her and Sheppard have something together.
Evan also realizes that all the nights they have spent together, as "friends with benefits", meant so much more to him than what he was willing to admit, even to himself. He had fallen for her and fallen hard, and now time is up. She is with Sheppard and he will be damned if he is going to stand in the way of her happiness. Even if that means he will have to pretend that his heart isn't breaking into tiny little pieces.