Evie
Evie marvels at the man privately in her thoughts, simultaneously amused and saddened by his hesitancy. It's like trying to encourage a skittish baby deer closer to a hand outstretched with a morsel of food in it. So she does what she would in that sort of situation, and waits him out, keeping her body language loose and her smile warm and patient as he shuffles and moves in ambling starts and stops. But he does come to sit beside her in the end, and Evie considers that a victory. He sits stiffly, and Evie bites her lip, cheeks hurting as she tries and fails to restrain her smile at his obvious discomfort. She doesn't want to scare him away by making him think she's teasing him, not when she's so curious about him. Plus the company is appreciated. He does surprise her in the end by responding, and she shifts to look at him a little better, attentive and inquisitive.
Evie's grin finally breaks through, little streams of laughter bubbling off her tongue. He's so awkward, and she finds it endearing. Normally she would tease and harass, perhaps because she used to do such things to Sam, but those urges have disappeared over the years. The world is harsh enough already, she doesn't need to add to it. "If you tell me your name then you won't be a stranger, now will you?" The copper haired girl shoots him a cheeky smile, overlooking his apology for now. But she probably should introduce herself first she thinks, and slowly - hesitant to startle him when he seems so easily shaken - she holds out her small, dirt-stained hand to him. Cheeks flushing at the sight, she quickly withdraws it and brushes it off on her leggings before re-presenting it to shake his hand, embarrassed. She had been repotting plants in the apothecary before she'd left, and the soil was always stubborn on her skin.
"Sorry," she laughs self-consciously. "I'm Evie, nice to meet you strange man who has decided to sit with me." Okay so she hadn't been able to stop herself from teasing him entirely, but hopefully he wouldn't like, burst into tears or something. She'd probably start crying too.
be the love you never received
the love you've always wanted
