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He let her go very gently and he tried to hide the troubled look on his face. He didn't for a moment forget that Bernadine was gifted with divination and she probably already knew every conflict that was playing loudly in his head. But he was trying very hard not to drag her through it with him.
She inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to remember to breath. She saw a lot in that little kiss, more than she wanted to see. She found herself swaying toward him and leaning against him unconsciously. "Walk me home," she insisted quietly.
He settled his arm around her shoulder, biting the inside of his lip and trying not to look too concerned. If their ruse was going to play off everyone had to think he was walking Abernathy Ford back to her dorm for some making out. He guided her through the ballroom and out to the fresh, cold air.
She felt a little better away from the heat of so many bodies. "You didn't have to... You shouldn't have..." But every thought trailed away as the vision washed back over her memory. She'd seen the past Anastas, the boy who was trying to self destruct. And she saw the potential future, the man he could become.
She also saw his current girlfriend, which left her just about as conflicted as he clearly was.
"I should not have," he echoed, "but I did." He stopped walking and turned to face her, placing his hands firmly on the sides of her shoulders. "I am sorry."
She softened under his hands and more so under his words. She had no way to tell exactly what he was apologizing for, but it was nice all the same that he was making the effort. "I think I know too much about you now."
He frowned, face falling that this potential ally might run off just when things were getting interesting. He couldn't think of anything to say that might change her mind.
She smiled at him entirely lopsided. She set a hand to cup his cheek, their breath fogging out in little puffs. It was too cold to linger here much longer. "I suppose I'll just have to tell you more about me. That way we're even."
He sighed, leaned into the gentle touch of her hand. This was getting stupidly complicated, dangerously emotional. He couldn't get attached to this girl, couldn't do to her or Diana what he did to any of the others. But he found himself taking her hand in his own, twining their fingers once again and walking her home to her dorm. He wanted to leave her at the door with a hug, but she pulled him into her room instead.
"Keeping up appearances," she said. "If this game is going to work, we have to keep up appearances."
She inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to remember to breath. She saw a lot in that little kiss, more than she wanted to see. She found herself swaying toward him and leaning against him unconsciously. "Walk me home," she insisted quietly.
He settled his arm around her shoulder, biting the inside of his lip and trying not to look too concerned. If their ruse was going to play off everyone had to think he was walking Abernathy Ford back to her dorm for some making out. He guided her through the ballroom and out to the fresh, cold air.
She felt a little better away from the heat of so many bodies. "You didn't have to... You shouldn't have..." But every thought trailed away as the vision washed back over her memory. She'd seen the past Anastas, the boy who was trying to self destruct. And she saw the potential future, the man he could become.
She also saw his current girlfriend, which left her just about as conflicted as he clearly was.
"I should not have," he echoed, "but I did." He stopped walking and turned to face her, placing his hands firmly on the sides of her shoulders. "I am sorry."
She softened under his hands and more so under his words. She had no way to tell exactly what he was apologizing for, but it was nice all the same that he was making the effort. "I think I know too much about you now."
He frowned, face falling that this potential ally might run off just when things were getting interesting. He couldn't think of anything to say that might change her mind.
She smiled at him entirely lopsided. She set a hand to cup his cheek, their breath fogging out in little puffs. It was too cold to linger here much longer. "I suppose I'll just have to tell you more about me. That way we're even."
He sighed, leaned into the gentle touch of her hand. This was getting stupidly complicated, dangerously emotional. He couldn't get attached to this girl, couldn't do to her or Diana what he did to any of the others. But he found himself taking her hand in his own, twining their fingers once again and walking her home to her dorm. He wanted to leave her at the door with a hug, but she pulled him into her room instead.
"Keeping up appearances," she said. "If this game is going to work, we have to keep up appearances."