"Me? Smug? John Mitchell, I'm hurt! Have you ever known me to be...um. You know what, just strike that sentence from the record, would you?" Because she was smug. Sometimes, she was so very smug. Right now, she was exceeding prior levels of smug. How could she not? She had a man feared in his world turning to putty in her hands. He melted into her touch, making soft noises of contentment. And she wasn't blind, she saw his reaction to her comments about lakes. Her teasing little words on spending time in those lakes. One thing Lydia did know was men and his expression wasn't exactly difficult to read. For his tough exterior, he wanted her.
And all she could do was smile about it. Yeah. She was smug. But it was deserved.
"You know, I think we might actually share the title of bad influence. You jumped on that way too quickly." Both things. Tormenting Hal and an old-fashioned round of skinny dipping. Oops. Not that she minded influencing him. Not like this. This? Wasn't dangerous. This was fun, light-hearted teasing. Silly things like this might just be the difference between the 118 year-old trapped in a college frat boy's life and the terror that he'd caused so many times before it.
Which was what made her breath catch and she paused in her petting, letting it sink in. What if Hal was right and it was her who would cause him to lose it? But what if she was the one who could help him keep it together? Was there any possible way to know before his teeth sank into her? If there was even a chance that she could help him, was it fair of her to walk away?
It was that simple. She just...wouldn't. She would stay, for as long as he let her, anyway, supporting him. If he tried to push her away, she'd just do what she could to weasle her way back into his life. And if the day came where she was made to regret it... Well, she only hoped somehow, Lizzie and Jane and Robin and Much and Hal...especially Hal...they'd be able to forgive her.
"So tell me more about the 80s," she insisted, forcing the smile back into place. She wouldn't let him see her worry. Not now, not about this. "I wasn't even born yet, you know. I mean, I know who Queen is, I'm not that stupid. But I always thought they were the 70s."