Luke sighed. "No, it wasn't," he admitted. She deserved this from him. But he was desperately out of practice with what exactly else she did deserve, as well as how to express it. "Honestly? I don't know how to handle this. I've... never had to."

He risked looking at her now, unsure what he'd see. Unsure what any of this meant. But why? It wasn't as if he could possibly act on it, for any number of reasons.

"Truth be told, I'd just come to terms with the idea of you being here. I'm still terrified of speaking to you, of the wrong thing coming out. I'm terrified of what allowing anyone to get to me now, after..." He spread his hands. "I'd just started to accept that I can't stop myself from ... reaching back." He shook his head. "I just never suspected I would react like that."

He looked down at the dead fish on the ground, eyes staring. The whole thing was absurd. What did she want him to say?