Unspoken

If Ryan's words didn't seem true at first, Tal believed them as she nuzzled in to his shoulder and neck. Letting both arms wrap around her, he felt for a moment, almost as if he were a blanket, wrapping around her to protect her from the storm she'd been facing. He'd set out to try and be a friend and be nice to someone he knew had been hurt. But he hadn't realized how far a small part of his care could go. And now... as Ryan lay here in his arms... he wanted to hold her all the more closely. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. He wanted to tell her how much more she was worth than she had been treated. He wanted to tell her that he could see how much she had to offer and to not let some jerk hold her back.

But all those feelings... all those words... those were things that had filled his mind since he'd first found out about Alec running off. And those were all things that if spoken, would be spoken too soon, and risk closing the door that had just been opened.

So all he can do is tighten his arms just a little, as if to say, 'Stay right here - I won't let you go.'


"Hey, you two...it'll be about twenty minutes." Eli's voice comes barreling through the air again, shattering yet another quiet moment. "Ryan, did you wanna fix anything on the side? Or I can throw a salad together."

Tal takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, letting Ryan's head rise and fall with his breath. His arms loosen and he straightens his leg back out, giving her the opportunity to leave. It was probably best if they get up before Eli sauntered in - Tal really didn't want to get kicked out after he'd just made friends.