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[fili]

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[transfemoral]

It helps to hear him say that he cares about her. A lot. It helps to be reminded that if nothing else, what was between them was--is real and mutual. Riliana offers him a smile in response. It's only right he get one for that, even in the midst of this stress.

But the sentiment doesn't erase his instincts, even he can control himself not to bolt off right away. He drinks more, and she can't help but feel again that she'd like to as well. Right now, a drink would be incredible. It might make her more numb as she pushes out the next words, as difficult as they are.

"I know. And you can have the time you need to think about it, but if you want to run right now, you can." Her words are soft, growing a little more distant. "You can take that bottle with you and run and get it out of your system, however long it takes. And at the end of it if you want to come back I'll be here. And if you don't...then all I ask of you--the only thing I'll ask of you right now, is to let me know definitively. One way or the other."

She can handle a wait if she has to. Days, weeks, months. But at some point she'll need an answer, need to know whether she should be holding open a space for him in her life and the life of her child or not.

[blandishment]

It's definitely tempting, especially when she offers him the chance to do what free of consequence. Just getting away from all this, the news and her and the crushing reality of this situation, to simply try to erase from his mind all worries, fears and thoughts even remotely related to the baby that's growing inside of her.

But at first, he just nods, leaning forward with the bottle still in his hands, finding the Irish cream to be entirely lacking in taste on his mouth.

"It's probably for the best that I have some time by myself, to... think about all this," he starts, setting the bottle down on the table. "I mean, you can stay here, if you want. I've got places I can go to for a while." One of his brother's places probably, like Ty's - yeah, definitely Ty's. He can bitch and whine all he likes but Anders has his ways to convince his brother to do what he wants him to. He knows she mentioned going back to her flat, but if she'd rather stay here and not have to deal with moving all her things back and rearranging her apartment, he wouldn't mind either way.

"But I think I need a shower first." Then he most likely will head out the door. Go find one of his brothers and pester them until they can't put up with him anymore. Basically, tradition.

[transfemoral]

There's a part of her that wants to curl up with him for the evening. Wrap her arms and legs around him and hold on as if for one more night nothing can change. Except it has, at this very moment. If she'd wanted that, she ought to have put off telling him another night.

So she nods when he says he needs to himself to think about all of this, but the mention of her staying here while he leaves doesn't sit well with her. Slowly, she rises to her feet and exhales.

"You go shower, but I think this is probably my cue to leave. As generous as it is for you to offer to let me stay here, this is your apartment," she says. Yes, she's been basically living there but the fact remains that it's his apartment and she has her own to return to. She should vacate his space. "You know where mine is if you need to find me, but you should have your place to yourself again."

She tries to soften it with a smile, resisting the urge to reach out and stroke a hand out over his hair the way she might normally. They haven't broken up or anything but it's hard not to feel as if touching him, as if kissing him or treating him the way she normally does might be underhanded. Using sex to sway him. At least, she tells herself that's all it is, as if she's not worried that he might brush her off now if she tried.

Riliana looks around her for her jacket. She thought she'd left it hanging over the back of one of the chairs...