His smile, even if it wasn't genuine and was surrounded by facial hair, was a relief all on its own. Yeah, he looked rough still, like he was still making the long trip down recovery road, but that he was even out here, and that he was even to reciprocate her smile... it was a good sign. "You look good," she told him honestly. "A lot better than you did the last time..." she trailed off before she finished. The last time she'd seen him.
The assessment was completely accusation-free. Rae was just surprised, pleased and surprised, to see him. "Right," she chuckled. "It's probably a little crowded in there, too. My room was crowded with five people, but yours is smaller. So..." she was just rambling. Talking, just because it was so nice to talk to him again. It felt like it had been so much longer than a week and a half since she'd seen him. It was a sign, she figured, of how much she loved him. The torture of being away from him was worse than almost anything she'd felt in a long time.
"I'm really glad you let them come stay with you," she told him honestly. How easy was it to talk to him? "I mean, they're your family. And you deserve all the love and support you can get right now."
She noticed how he'd put his hands in his pockets and fought with the urge to reach out and take one of them, try and help calm him. He offered to leave and she shook her head desperately. "No," she answered quickly. "No, please... d-don't go," she shook her head again. "I've missed you. I don't..." she wet her lips. "I never want to be alone when I can be with you." She pushed some hair behind her ear and breathed in, giving him a smile that was a little more believable than the previous one.
It was hard, feeling so awkward around him. But he was the one who said that he didn't want her around. She didn't want to push her luck. "Please stay. If you want to, I mean..." she added.
Desperately, to the pit of her stomach, she wanted to hug him. To lean against him and feel the way she always felt when she was in his arms, but... she didn't want to push him before he was ready. She looked at him for a few more seconds and the smile grew a little truer. A little more genuine. Just being in his presence made her feel like that.
His compliment made her laugh a little bit, though it was tainted with sadness. "I missed your everything," she replied, sounding really idiotic, probably. "I missed just... being near you," she added, watching with tentative hope and anticipation as he drew nearer. Was he going to put her out of her misery and hold her? And when he did just that, she felt her eyes slide closed and she quickly raised her arms and hugged him with everything she had in her. "Don't be," she shook her head no. "Please don't be sorry for doing what you needed to do for you," she insisted.
"I'm so proud of you, Topher," she added. "So proud."
Rae's face lit up, though it was buried against his chest, when he told her that he loved her. "I love you, too. So much." With everything she had that wasn't already reserved for her son, April and Lucas. He wished her a happy birthday and she laughed. "You remembered..." she whispered. "It is now..." she added afterward.