Savannah exhaled, the tension easing from her shoulders before she could stop it.
“Sorry,” she murmured, even though she wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for.
“You don’t have to be,” Tilly said quietly.
Savannah nodded, still staring at the blanket, fingers tracing the seam. “I know. I just…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “I feel a little weird.”
Tilly hummed, thoughtful. “Different weird, or bad weird?”
Savannah considered that. “Different,” she said. “I think.”
“That’s okay,” Tilly said. “We can go slow.”
The word settled something in her chest.
Savannah nodded again and finally looked up at them. Their expression was open. Unrushed. Like they weren’t waiting for her to figure anything out on a schedule.
She could have pulled away then. Could have used the blanket as a wall instead of a shield.
She didn’t.
She tucked the blanket more securely around herself, then let her hand rest there, still and quiet this time.
Slow sounded good.
Tilly shifted slightly beside her, careful again, like they were always checking the space between them before crossing it.
“Hey,” they said quietly.
Savannah turned her head, the blanket still gathered close. “Yeah?”
Tilly hesitated, just a fraction. Not uncertain. Thoughtful. “I can go, if you want me to.”
The words landed heavier than Savannah expected.
Her first instinct was confusion. Go where? Why? The room still felt warm. Safe. Tilly was right there.
“I don’t want to make this weird,” Tilly added, gentle and even. “Or stay if you’d rather be alone.”
Savannah blinked, her chest tightening for a reason she couldn’t quite name. She searched Tilly’s face, expecting to find distance or regret.
There wasn’t any.
Just care. And patience.
“Oh,” she said. Again. It seemed to be her word tonight.
She hadn’t realized until that moment how much she didn’t want them to leave.
“No,” she said, a little too quickly, then steadied herself. “I mean. You don’t have to. I don’t want you to.”
Tilly nodded, accepting the answer without relief or disappointment. “Okay.”
The simplicity of it made Savannah’s throat ache.
She shifted closer, tentatively, like she was still testing the ground. Tilly met her halfway, careful not to assume, letting Savannah set the pace.
“Thank you for asking,” Savannah said quietly.
