Panther Park Long and hard

The expression displayed had been easy enough to read, and she'd started to feel conflicted. His words had not matched the look upon his face, and his tone had slipped into one that she was most unfamiliar with. Her own ears had mimicked his, falling back as she'd reached out to him. Yet, before much distance could be taken away, she'd stopped herself, pulling back and following-up her actions with a slow shake of her head. "It is not about what I must do," she'd stated, gaze focused on the side of his face. "It is about what you would like for me to do." It was he who she wished to be comfortable, rather than herself; not to say that she wasn't comfortable around him—she definitely was—but she wanted for her leaving or staying to be decided by him.

"If you would like for me to stay, then I will not go," the girl added shortly after. "But if you would prefer my departure, then I will leave." It was his choice to make, as she'd made clear enough. Either option was understandable, and she would honour her word for whichever was chosen.