@coldfrcnt continued from [here]
they had a few meetups since the gala, spending their time with one another. there was no need for the masks in each other's presence any longer. it wasn't about glamor nor the festivities of the ball. this was about real connection. the sheer luck that her sister had been a supporter of their cause; he was not her enemy. the two of them were free to fraternize as they pleased. no secrets to be had about their relationship.
❝ you should be careful with how you word that, i might get the wrong impression. ❞ he said with a half - laugh, unable to shake the feeling that it was a confession of sorts. their interactions had been chaste so far. not taking the opportunity to go farther than a bit of hand - holding - the awkward tension between them was daunting. he wished to display more affection to a woman like her. knowing that there was no consequence to be had. the fear of mixed signals being his only barrier. he didn't want to mistake her kindness for romantic emotions. though, her words had come out like a confession - letting him know that she had felt the same towards him. he warned her; the only way that he could, not wanting her to make a mistake
Aislin hadn’t meant romantic attraction, but rather that she enjoyed Bucky’s company and felt safe with him. She generally was wary of men, having had bad experiences with creeps hitting on her and such. There was comfort around him that she only felt with male relatives and her best friend.
“I’m sorry —, I meant in that I’ve been worried about you. You isolate so much,” Aislin frowned, “I understand being an introvert, but you need some companionship,” she told him, reaching up and putting her hand on his bicep reassuringly. There was an underlying sensual tension between the two of them, but Aislin was admittedly oblivious to it. Comfort was friendship, right? Not romantic feelings? She couldn’t parse them apart easily.
“I want to help you get out more, in safe spaces. No crowded spaces, but nice quiet places like a library’s study hall or a niche cafe,” she told him with a grin, her lavender eyes sparkling.
