Re: Steph/Bruce -- Steph's loft.
[Unfortunately--or, perhaps, fortunately--Bruce wasn't a mind reader. He didn't know what thoughts ran through Stephanie's head, but he suspected the majority were negative. Despite her efforts to hide it he could tell she was blinking away tears, trying to put on a brave face, and his conviction that she shouldn't be alone only grew. She needed someone to lean on, someone to support her. He was willing and prepared to be that someone, and he wasn't going to let her push him away, however hard she tried. When she looked up at him he reached out with his free hand, a reassuring weight on her shoulder and a squeeze to convey as much.]
We talked about faith, about the unknown. Very deep. [A wry smile.] They did reach out, in fact. [He paused, proceeding with caution.] Do you want to talk about your night, or would you rather not?