He was trying to take his cues from her, really; he had no idea how to treat her, how she wanted to be treated - though he did know that she wanted to be welcomed by someone who knew her, who loved her, and he wasn't - couldn't be - that person, not now. And so of course he needed to apologize, but she said he didn't, and he didn't know what else to tell her. If she didn't want to hear I'm sorry then what else would possibly do?
He blinked, mouth opening slightly when she said she'd gotten the star from his parents, smiling a little a moment later. "Oh, they must really like you, then," he said, though of course he had no idea what the real situation had been like, that his mom and dad simply hadn't ever bothered to hang up that star in their window. "Thank you," he murmured, looking at Summer earnestly for a moment, because if she had done that for him... "I hope that I told you what it meant to me, before. But if I didn't... that's a beautiful thing to do." He felt lucky and selfish and horrible all at once - here was this girl who got better by the minute, that he was sure he must have loved and felt ecstatic for being loved before... and all he could do was hear about the wonderful things she'd done for him secondhand, like she was explaining it to someone else. Of course, when she said his family was complicated, he smiled a bit and shrugged a lot more cheerfully than he would have, before. "Well, whose isn't, right? That's a very kind offer though, Summer, and thank you." Though he didn't want to impose, didn't want to make things worse for her. Maybe they both needed space, needed time. Maybe he'd start to remember, or maybe she'd be able to come to terms with it if he didn't, but either way, he wasn't sure he'd be at her door as soon as she hoped. But maybe it really would be better that way, maybe he needed the help of his family first, maybe they could tell him what he needed to know to face her again.
As they neared the houses, he glanced at the addresses, finally spotting 146 - a whitewashed, two-story house that looked unimposing enough. The lamplight he could see through the parted curtains in the front widow made his heart jump with nervousness and excitement, both of which he tried to clamp down on as he motioned to the drive and said, "This must be the one?"
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He blinked, mouth opening slightly when she said she'd gotten the star from his parents, smiling a little a moment later. "Oh, they must really like you, then," he said, though of course he had no idea what the real situation had been like, that his mom and dad simply hadn't ever bothered to hang up that star in their window. "Thank you," he murmured, looking at Summer earnestly for a moment, because if she had done that for him... "I hope that I told you what it meant to me, before. But if I didn't... that's a beautiful thing to do." He felt lucky and selfish and horrible all at once - here was this girl who got better by the minute, that he was sure he must have loved and felt ecstatic for being loved before... and all he could do was hear about the wonderful things she'd done for him secondhand, like she was explaining it to someone else. Of course, when she said his family was complicated, he smiled a bit and shrugged a lot more cheerfully than he would have, before. "Well, whose isn't, right? That's a very kind offer though, Summer, and thank you." Though he didn't want to impose, didn't want to make things worse for her. Maybe they both needed space, needed time. Maybe he'd start to remember, or maybe she'd be able to come to terms with it if he didn't, but either way, he wasn't sure he'd be at her door as soon as she hoped. But maybe it really would be better that way, maybe he needed the help of his family first, maybe they could tell him what he needed to know to face her again.
As they neared the houses, he glanced at the addresses, finally spotting 146 - a whitewashed, two-story house that looked unimposing enough. The lamplight he could see through the parted curtains in the front widow made his heart jump with nervousness and excitement, both of which he tried to clamp down on as he motioned to the drive and said, "This must be the one?"