As Alys settled beside him and her shoulder made a spot of warmth against his, Tal finally exhaled a breath he'd been holding for far too long, as if her presence had unlocked it. A shiver trembled along his arm beneath her hand, invisible except for the way the fine dark hairs stood up, but it was her voice that finally drew his eyes back into the present so that he blinked and looked...
Not at her. Not directly. But down into his lap as he hesitated. Teeth caught his lower lip, chewing the tender skin in a lifelong bad habit. The instinctive no never even made it past his throat, swallowed down before he could voice it. Alys was his friend - pretty much his best friend, alongside Hotaru - and she deserved better than a stubborn lie.
"I... I dunno," he finally admitted, the words pulled from his lips with reluctance at first, but growing easier with each one. "It wasn't... it wasn't real. But it felt so real at the time, y'know?" He shook his head, almost spilling his tea at the strength of the motion. "Shit, sorry, I should've asked sooner. What about you?"
Not at her. Not directly. But down into his lap as he hesitated. Teeth caught his lower lip, chewing the tender skin in a lifelong bad habit. The instinctive no never even made it past his throat, swallowed down before he could voice it. Alys was his friend - pretty much his best friend, alongside Hotaru - and she deserved better than a stubborn lie.
"I... I dunno," he finally admitted, the words pulled from his lips with reluctance at first, but growing easier with each one. "It wasn't... it wasn't real. But it felt so real at the time, y'know?" He shook his head, almost spilling his tea at the strength of the motion. "Shit, sorry, I should've asked sooner. What about you?"
