It was a rather straightforward question, but there really wasn't a specific answer to what she wanted from Mitch. She couldn't even figure out what she wanted in her own life, even without him factoring into the equation. Mabel was usually willing to take whatever was offered in any given situation, good or bad, and rarely demanded more. But his previous statement nailed down exactly what she didn't want. "Being here," she replied simply and honestly, because in the end it was all that mattered. She already had to learn to move on without him, and she had managed to numb herself to any longing or loneliness, having accepted it then as a permanent severing of ties. But even if it only had been since September she'd allowed him to push back into her bubble and commandeer a good deal of her free time, the constant anticipation and readiness for it to happen again was recognizably painful.
Quietly, she added, "I just want to mean something to you." It wasn't a plea, although perhaps an admission of insecurity.