"Don't be sorry," Severus said, closing his eyes. One hand left her and he squeezed his wand between his fingers, feeling the wood and his flesh giving into the shape and strength of it. A loud pop and he'd Apparated them back to his flat.
He broke away and touched the side of Alecto's face, ever cautious, and traced back to her ear to line the shape of it.
"I just made a great bloody fool of myself, didn't I?" he asked her, smirking faintly. He felt better. It'd be cathartic in a way. Painful, but necessary. His fingers spread, the rest making contact with the side of the girl's face, and he took a tiny step back in, moving in very, very slowly to kiss her, fully prepared to be stopped or pushed away.
She had someone and he wasn't even sure why he was doing it, it just felt like something he needed. Maybe she did too.