"More than I want you to forgive me I want you to be okay." It was quiet, and probably sounded more cheesy than he wanted it to. "I can live with you hating me, but I hate the idea of you losing hope." He knew too well what it was like to stand on the edge of that abyss, and it horrified him that Carrie had taken his place there while he was gone.
He shook his head. "I haven't been able to reach Cassandra. I wasn't. I wanted to let everyone come to me when they were ready. I didn't want to push them." He hadn't come to Carrie with a master plan of breaking through her emotional walls. "I.. meant to afford you the same courtesy but.. I just started walking and my feet led me here." It might have been difficult for her to believe, but the twinge of embarrassment in his voice was genuine. Even now, he wasn't used to not having a plan.