He looked so young. She hadn't really noticed the last time. The last time she had been too focused on breathing and other difficult tasks. The lines of her own age looked strange on him. In her later years, she had started to lose interest in younger men. Their mind and spirit could not keep up with hers. It were the older ones - the ones in their thirties or even early fourties - which fascinated her. Their stories were what kept her interested.
"I do not," she said and watched him. The beer in his hand through her off. Dan did not drink. Sometimes she wished he would. But he had explained that he did not like himself very much when he drank and that was something Brenna needed to respect. She did not want Dan to despise himself. That was another thing about older men, they carried long shadows with them.
"But only if you do not drink." She surprised herself at the statement. "Your older self does not like it. You should always listen to your elders." She cracked a smile at turning the saying against him. This was not how it was meant to be used.