"I heard you," he said quietly, after a beat of silence, and finally opened his eyes. He handed back her water bottle and slowly stretched himself out of the cross-legged position he'd been holding for at least a few hours. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his back and then gave her a sidelong look, mulling over what she'd just said.
Eventually he smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. He knew her well enough to know what it cost her to put herself out there like this, and there was a time when he would've desperately jumped at another chance. But now he just wasn't sure. A lot had changed in seven years, it was a long time. They'd done this dance before over and over. And every time, things just got complicated. "Do you think that's possible?" he asked dubiously. "Because 'no hurt feelings' hasn't ever really worked for us before."