I mean it's fine, I'm fine. Just some bullshit about how I'm a bother to everyone and my mother can't stand me but tell me something I don't know, am I right?
[He rolls so he's laying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and lets out a sigh.]
[Did he see her saying those things? She can't imagine it would help either of them to ask, but it still bothers her. She has no idea what to say in response, partially because she's so drained and partially because... Well, she doesn't know him well enough to guess what he might want to hear.]
That can't be true, Nathan.
[It sounds lame, even to her. Oddly, she finds herself wishing they were downtown with him, so at least he wouldn't have to be alone. She reminds herself that he would probably say something terrible and drive her nuts within twenty minutes.
[For a second, Nathan considers really talking about it. But no, he can't. When he tries, he feels like his stomach is rejecting being inside of his body and he feels so tense and freaked out he can't get the words out. He can't talk about it. He can't. So instead, he does what he does best: change the subject.]
[It's a noncommittal noise. She's really not, but she's also not dodging the question or flat out lying, which is more than can be said for her responses to most people today. Everything he said in his conversation with her--his real conversation with her--is still stuck in her mind, and she's not sure how to navigate this now in light of it.
So she'll do what she does best: worry about everyone else but herself.]
I like to fancy myself a lone wolf, but between you and me, it turns into a shit deal after a few weeks. A guy like me goes a bit mental left to his own devices for this long.
[He groans.]
The last time I ran into anyone was...shit, when I met you face-to-face. You still hanging around that same bunch?
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I mean it's fine, I'm fine. Just some bullshit about how I'm a bother to everyone and my mother can't stand me but tell me something I don't know, am I right?
[He rolls so he's laying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling, and lets out a sigh.]
It'll blow over. It always does.
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That can't be true, Nathan.
[It sounds lame, even to her. Oddly, she finds herself wishing they were downtown with him, so at least he wouldn't have to be alone. She reminds herself that he would probably say something terrible and drive her nuts within twenty minutes.
Still.]
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You're alright though, yeah?
no subject
[It's a noncommittal noise. She's really not, but she's also not dodging the question or flat out lying, which is more than can be said for her responses to most people today. Everything he said in his conversation with her--his real conversation with her--is still stuck in her mind, and she's not sure how to navigate this now in light of it.
So she'll do what she does best: worry about everyone else but herself.]
Are you still traveling alone?
no subject
[The subject change is taken in a heartbeat.]
I like to fancy myself a lone wolf, but between you and me, it turns into a shit deal after a few weeks. A guy like me goes a bit mental left to his own devices for this long.
[He groans.]
The last time I ran into anyone was...shit, when I met you face-to-face. You still hanging around that same bunch?
no subject
[She feels really bad for him.]