"Death shouldn't be the first option. We're going to have to talk about how you handle things from now on."

"I—" His voice faltered for a second. He let his hands settle on her shoulders and eased her back just a little.

"Alright, alright. Message received —— loud 𝐚𝐧𝐝 clear."

Jason’s jaw tightens, and he glances away —— just a little too long to sell the act. When he looks back at her, the faintest flush has already started to creep into his cheeks.

"Who says I'm lying? Besides... when’d you get back into town?"

Jason turns at the tap. His expression doesn’t change, but something in the way he holds himself does —— just a little.

"Not in the slightest."

"Right, right—'maybe,' which in Tommie-speak means 'yes but make me fight you about it first.' I get it."

"So, in other words... you want me around."