Broken Antler Fen Let your arms be a place she feels safe in

She felt him move against her and looked over just in time to see him tense up.  Almost without thinking she rested her head on his back, but didn't really know what to say.  There wasn't anything she could say and honestly, if she tried she'd probably just make him feel worse.  She had the sudden sensation of guilt that came from knowing a thing that made you happy was causing someone you loved pain... but she tried to quash it.  She really did want to trust him, but it was going to be hard.  Knowing he was here for himself too only made it slightly more bearable.  She knew immediately that if he'd come solely for her, she'd have caved in and gone back with him in a heartbeat.  And then I'd be the unhappy one, I guess.

He sounded okay enough when he relaxed and said good morning, so she tossed that line of thinking out for now.  It didn't fit in her happy place right now and she could ignore it for now... at least until Eljay felt ready to talk more about it.  I'm going to show him how much there is to love here, she decided.

Amazingly, she answered.  It wasn't totally a lie, though his muttering had woken her a few times.  Hearing her newly-minted mate mumble another girl's name while he slept wasn't the best of feelings, but she knew it wasn't like that.  Not even dramatic Maia was that high-strung.  She stretched, then tucked herself back in, snuggling up.  I told you this was, like, the best spot.  How did you sleep?

If she asked it casually, he could easily gloss over it if he didn't want to talk.