Good fun

Hearing Ryan laugh, Tal begins to feel a little less embarrassed and a grin starts to form. This really was silly and come to think of it, it really was pretty funny once he got past feeling mortified.

Letting her take his hand from his face, he scrunches up his nose and gives her a funny look. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I don't want to get hit by you. I have a feeling it would hurt."

At least she was glad he'd have the guts to apologize should he ever really make a mistake, right? That was good. Maybe at the very least, if he took away how silly he was being, it did prove he had self-respect, along with respect for Ryan.

He's about to reply when he's tugged a little closer and feels Ryan come in for a kiss. It felt just like last night, and he knew now without a doubt that his assumptions had indeed been wrong. His arms slip around her as he returns her kiss. He couldn't help it. She was so warm and passionate and she felt so good in his arms... to deny kissing her back would be to deny everything in this moment. He knew she was on the rebound. He knew she missed Alec. He knew that this might never mean anything more than a brief physical attraction. But he wouldn't deny her the pleasure either. If she needed to be held, he would hold her. If she needed to be shown affection, he would show it. She deserved so much more than she'd been dealt.

When she pulls away he looks down at her, finally smiling and the redness fading from his cheeks. "Thanks... for not thinking me too much of a fool. And if... you really do want to get together again... I think I'd like that too."

Still smiling, he shakes his head. "But first, I think I'm gonna go back to work and tell Eli that you said you never want to see me again. Let him chew on that guilty thought all day." He winks at her. "All in good fun, of course."