[ all thoughts of launching straight into her prepared speech leave abruptly as he puts his face in his hands. completely ignoring the clothes in her bag, alison tucks her towel more firmly around her and moves to his side. she hesitates for just a moment before leaning against his side and rubbing small circles on his back with her hand. ]

I'm sorry. I'd have called first, but this just seemed easier. [ her voice is a soft murmur--this whole moment feels as fragile as spun glass. like if she speaks too loud everything will shatter.

she leans her cheek against his shoulder and breathes in deeply. right now, the last thing she wants to do is say something wrong and make him feel even worse. but there's so much she needs to say that she feels like she's going to explode. ] I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone, and the enormity of that... it scares the shit out of me, Tendo. [ she sucks in a shaky breath and closes her eyes. ] But I want you, this, us--I want to work it out more than I want anything else in the world.

[ as she speaks, the hand that's resting on his back curls into a lose fist around the fabric of his shirt. it's a nervous gesture. right now, alison feels like she's going to puke because this isn't what she'd planned on saying and he's a mess and she doesn't want to make that worse. ]

I'm sorry. I don't know if that helps, but it's where things stand with me.