Hope's demeanor changed, and in an instant Nic knew he was, mostly, forgiven. And he smiled, staying quiet while Hope spoke, while she sifted and sorted through what she wanted to say. He knew what he wanted to say, but he let her talk first because he owed her that. But when she'd finished, and she said she was happy, Nicanor grinned. "I am happy I am here also," he said. "You are very kind to me. You always have been." Even before he had left, when she had told him she couldn't be with him, when she had been unsure, Hope had still seemed so kind. She was only a woman, just as he was only a man, and mistakes were bound to be made. Nobody was perfect. But she had tried, and that counted for a great deal.
"May I kiss you?" he asked her, leaning in closer to her lips. "Before you put in stitches into me?" He wanted this to feel good, a bit of sweetness before more hurt.