[ He feels her trembling, feels her clinging, feels all of it, and it does feel like an apology, but it also feels like a desire for them to go back to before he'd allowed this emotion to become clear to her. She was the one who asked, but maybe she hadn't really wanted to know. Maybe she had been in some kind of denial.
The way he had been.
He sets his hands on her upper arms. He really hadn't meant to hurt her, but— ]
I can't lie to you, either.
[ He gently pulls her back. The tears have dropped, making tracks down his cheeks, but he doesn't sound too choked up when he speaks.
It's a carefully measured response. ]
It's just...
[ As she pulls back he drops his hands to the edge of the desk. ]
no subject
The way he had been.
He sets his hands on her upper arms. He really hadn't meant to hurt her, but— ]
I can't lie to you, either.
[ He gently pulls her back. The tears have dropped, making tracks down his cheeks, but he doesn't sound too choked up when he speaks.
It's a carefully measured response. ]
It's just...
[ As she pulls back he drops his hands to the edge of the desk. ]
...I don't know how to.