Rebuilding What Was Lost

SAMUEL i am the ocean, crawling madly at your moon. and with one wanton whoop — Sam wanted to badly to ask 'but you are attracted to me'? To smile and flirt with his new confidence that had plenty to do with Remi, but he predicted how it would go: like a heavy stone dropped into Remi's new lightness in the conversation. He stayed quiet, acknowledging the words with a 'mmm' as he tasted his new tea. Too weak. He put it down and set about making it stronger. He was still fiddling with it when he heard 'Oh.' Sam looked up and chewed his lip as he watched how distressed Remi seemed to be. "I..w-won't tell anyone." He comforted, wondering who in the world he would tell anyway. "But you once...ha. No. I shouldn't t-tell you that. It wouldn't d-do your nerves any..any good. But you were bold, often." Memories of the temple drifting by, he leaned back with his better cup of tea and looked up to the ceiling. "We...I was won-wondering if...you'd like to..n-no expectations attached, spend t-time together? Even if we a..are not dating, we're st-still neighbours. And I...you c-can talk to me about anything." — i melt into a sycophantic soup, & all that's left to do, is giggle, fawn, and swoon.