For a moment, he was surprised by her sharp response, looking away and sighing. It seemed he couldn't say anything right anymore. “Looks just like Elliot,” he mused softly, deciding not to call her out on her attitude. As much as he wanted to. We're lucky that he's healthy, too.” Especially given all they'd been through before they got here. It was a relief.
Yet again, he didn't say anything; at least not at first. He recognized the tone in her voice, and it twisted his expression a little bit. That jealous tone was a surprise. “Well, so do we, you know?” he asked her. Brandon, Lilah, Kori, George, Danny... along with some other friends—at least on Leah's part. They had just as many people to help them out as she did, and their time was a long time away. He didn't defend Rae, though the thought that EJ didn't have a father, or a papa, entered his mind.
“I didn't,” Evan responded, his expression twisting again. Once again, every time he spoke, it didn't come out right. “And Brandon would argue that, I think.” They weren't family; they could barely get through a conversation without snapping and argument. “But I meant it as a compliment to you, not a complaint.” She was the person he could rely on the most. To understand him, or to appreciate what he did for her. Or... she used to be, anyway.
He turned around, surprised to see the state she was in. Normally, his instinct would have been to wrap his arms around her, pull her to him and tell her it was okay. And that was what he wanted to do right now. But everything else he was trying to say and do was backfiring, so he hesitated for a moment, before breathing in and allowing instinct to win out, sliding his arms around her shoulders. He didn't speak up at first, but when he finally did, it wasn't an 'it's okay.' He answered her question instead,
“Come with me to get coffee. And we can go in together, okay?” he emphasized the word 'together,' a less-than-subtle reminder that she still had him. “If you want to.” More slightly hidden subtext. If you want me.