It was nice, how he was always so good to her. Sure, it wasn't like it was rare, for people to be kind to her like this; she had friends and family who loved her endlessly, and were always there for her when she needed them to be. But this kind of attention... it felt different, but familiar. Reminiscent of something that she thought she wouldn't feel again. She dispelled that thought quickly, before it had a chance to blossom, and looked at him with a little smile. “You're too good to me.” Maybe a little telling of how she was feeling, but... it was true. He'd been nothing but amazing to her.
In a lot of ways, Rae's trust was easier to earn than most others. No, she didn't instantly trust everyone she knew, but it was hard for her to turn people away when they showed her positive attention. Maybe it was a little bit of her old promiscuity showing through, or maybe it was her internal dancer, reveling at being in the spotlight, but either way, her trusting nature probably had a lot to do with her love for attention.
Awkward. She wanted him to walk her home, but she didn't want to go home. She wondered, for a moment, if she'd put him off somehow, with the way he'd drawn out his response, but recovered quickly, looking up at him. “I just don't like them seeing me like this,” she repeated, once again allowing herself to open up to him. “I'm supposed to be the leader of the family, you know? Strong and stuff.” And boy did she feel anything but right then. “It probably sounds stupid,” she looked down at the ground.
His surprise was understandable. Rae had always seemed perfectly content to do things like this at her apartment, especially since EJ was born. But she gave him a little smile all the same. “If you don't want to, we can go to the rec room or something...” she shrugged. It was hardly private like someone's room, or cell, or whatever he had, but... it was something.
When he explained that his place was a wreck, she shrugged and chuckled. “That's okay,” she told him sincerely. “You've had a lot of stuff on your mind, and as long as there are no underwear monsters threatening to drag me under the bed and eat me, I should be okay.” She quirked a weak smile. “There are none, right?” Joking to keep herself together until they were in private.
The offer was met with another smile, this one a tiny bit stronger than the last. “Thanks,” she said. She was sorely tempted to reach for his hand, hold onto it for something to anchor her and remind her that everything would be okay, but she put her hand in her pocket instead, grabbing onto the faux fur lining on the inside.
“Do you... do you think he's alive out there?” she asked him, after a couple moments of silent walking. “We saw no signs that he's like... dead, right? So...”