[ Her jaw slackens a little, her eyes widening as she looks at him in silence, as her brain slowly processes his words, as the gorge of panic attempts to rise in her throat and she shuts it down; instead she lifts one hand to his chest, pressing it gently over his heart, and she swallows hard as she nods.
He knows, she thinks, and that's terrifyingโ and yet she would give anything to be able to confirm it in her own mind, even just for herself so that she can someday find the courage to say it to him. He deserves that much, doesn't he? And just a moment ago she was so sure she'd be able toโ
Sometimes she feels so Archons-damned weak.
It's with a small, anxious smile that her other hand comes up to his cheek, cupping it in her fingers as she closes the small gap between their lips, the touch of hers chaste and sweet in comparison to the heat still lingering at the corners of her mouth. ]
I... I know, I...
[ By the Gods, she is bad at this. When she pulls back, her eyes dart away, an inability to look at him that she hasn't suffered from now for the better part of the last few weeks... yet right now, stronger than anything else. Another swallow, her eyes blinking at tears that seem to be brimming once more on the surface. Why is it that now he's seen her cry, she feels like she can't stop? ]
I'm sorry. [ It's a whisper. ] Every part of me is fighting right now.
[ Of course, if she stopped to think about it, she would realize that this on its own is a kind of confession, an admission that her brain and heart are fighting each other on it, that the fear and the feeling are at a war over the knowledge that sheโ
no subject
He knows, she thinks, and that's terrifyingโ and yet she would give anything to be able to confirm it in her own mind, even just for herself so that she can someday find the courage to say it to him. He deserves that much, doesn't he? And just a moment ago she was so sure she'd be able toโ
Sometimes she feels so Archons-damned weak.
It's with a small, anxious smile that her other hand comes up to his cheek, cupping it in her fingers as she closes the small gap between their lips, the touch of hers chaste and sweet in comparison to the heat still lingering at the corners of her mouth. ]
I... I know, I...
[ By the Gods, she is bad at this. When she pulls back, her eyes dart away, an inability to look at him that she hasn't suffered from now for the better part of the last few weeks... yet right now, stronger than anything else. Another swallow, her eyes blinking at tears that seem to be brimming once more on the surface. Why is it that now he's seen her cry, she feels like she can't stop? ]
I'm sorry. [ It's a whisper. ] Every part of me is fighting right now.
[ Of course, if she stopped to think about it, she would realize that this on its own is a kind of confession, an admission that her brain and heart are fighting each other on it, that the fear and the feeling are at a war over the knowledge that sheโ
She. ]