It was impossible for Belle to even try to temper the grin that lit up her features as he agreed to her request, at that word. It might have been small and simple to most people, but given that love was what had been driving her for so long--what had wound her up in Regina's tower, the memory of it driving her on even here--she knew that even if he was among the few who stayed a very short time, she'd remember the sound of that word on his tongue.
Although her feet seemed to lead all on their own--muscles remembering when she'd walked this path from the library and back for those few weeks--her heart was hammering her throat, torn between giddiness at being with him and a sort of panic for what might come after, the harsh realities of this place that couldn't be avoided no matter how much she might want to.
It felt strange to be going back to the apartments, and there was a small part of her that worried someone who had more faith in the Council might see and say something, but that was ridiculous. Even if she wasn't a resident of the building, there was no reason she couldn't be here with someone who,at least for three days, had every right to live there.
Three days. No matter how much she tried not to think about it, that deadline would be in her mind. After this,she'd have to speak to Michael, to the other people in the resistance, she'd...
Think about that later. She stubbornly pushed the thought from her mind, as they got to the right door, also forcing herself not to think about the fact that a short time ago she'd had a place just like this, a floor covered in books and papers, and now she had a sleeping bag and a cardboard box. The Church was still less confining than this building--but for the moment, she'd try to forget all the restrictions that came along with these rooms, and focus just on him.
"They're, ah...quite different from home, but...most the differences don't take long to get used to." The words were awkward and clumsy, but all she could think to say.