Redhawk Caldera The faith that sets you free

I'm drunk just FYI...let's see how this goes!

When Finley stepped back, Elwood's chest tightened inexplicably. His first instinct was to lunge forward and grab her, to seize her and prevent her from going anywhere. But his paws remained rooted to the ground and, luckily for him, she didn't go any further. He gritted his teeth, expecting some kind of explosion or negative reaction from her -- but instead, she seemed to force herself to accept the words that were being flung at her, and she even moved toward him once more.

Feeling emboldened by her physical indications -- though her voice still rang with doubt -- Elwood steeled himself. Both of them had provided an opportunity for the conversation to end, but neither had gone through with it -- that had to be a sign. So he took a deep breath; he inhaled through his nostrils then exhaled through his lips, which were pressed together.

"Okay," he said, honestly still surprised that she had agreed to talk about this topic in the first place. Who was she, and what had she done with his Finley? "I still don't want to push you into anything that makes you uncomfortable. But...what do you think of...us?" More than anything else, he wanted to hear her opinion. He could have spouted words at her -- calling her his girlfriend or mate, professing his love for her, speaking of their future and (dear god!) their family. But in all reality, the decision was up to Finley -- and while he could have spent the next half and hour listing reasons as to why she should be with him, he knew that, ultimately, it came down to her.