Hushed Willows But damn girl, since you've come around

She was hesitant—he was expectant. The draw of his gaze over her caught the hitch in breath, despite the initial surprise of the apology that spilled from her mouth. He felt his jaw tighten—the flex reaction one of displeasure at the memories that surfaced, and he found himself shaking his head—perturbed now that she felt remorseful for her actions even after the last things he had said to her.

His gut reaction was to apologize in turn, insist the past remain behind them. Simply let it be.

Instead, he found a dark snort escaping him, fatigue creeping its way to his eyes as he leaned back, shoulder resting to the tree as he looked intently on her—gauging her reaction. “Didn’t I, though? You confided in me how you felt about treatments.”

He paused, his features sobering. “This wasn’t what I thought you’d want to talk about,” he admitted.