Looking up slightly when he spoke, her chest tightened at his words, almost painfully so, and she had to shake her head at his apology. He shouldn't be apologizing, he didn't need to, if only she could make him understand that she did know this part of what he was going through and she didn't blame him in the slightest for how he'd reacted.

But those words wouldn't come out, and so she did the next best thing: she went to him, bypassing that outstretched hand entirely to slip her arms around his middle and press her cheek against the smooth skin of his chest, her head tucked under his chin. "It's okay," she finally managed, though her words were tight and fragile. "I understand. You do what you to, and I'll be here."