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After a moment, Laurel reached out blindly with her free hand and eventually found Nic's hand with the glasses. When she touched his hand though, she didn't take the glasses, she just squeezed it tightly.

Nic's hand gradually fell to his chest, unable to to keep it lifted. Just from his light touch, Laurel could tell he was frustrated with how weak he currently was.

Laurel eventually let go of his hand and took the glasses. When she got them back on she look back at Nic. She still seemed reserved, "I... don't know if I believe this is happening," she suddenly confessed in a quiet voice.

Nic didn't say anything.

... Well, that didn't look like it had changed.

Laurel continued to stare at Nic, "Do you love me and only me?" she suddenly asked.

Nic blinked, surprised by the sudden question. After a moment he answered, voice a little weak, "I... don't love anyone else... like I love you."

As soon as he finished, Laurel's lips were already locked onto his. It was a short kiss, filled with relief but also disbelief... with a touch of something darker. She quickly pulled away, withdrawing a bit back into herself.

Nic kept his eyes closed as Laurel pulled away biting his lip a little, fighting something back. He was quiet for a long moment before a first for him. "But... I'll never get it right," he confessed quietly. For once, Laurel could see the pain on his face. It looked like they had both had a rough time while Laurel was away.

For once, Laurel didn't fight to remain optimistic. "You messed up pretty bad this time," Laurel agreed, "You never explain anything to me, get angry for reasons I don't understand and then take it out on me. Go off and do everything on your own, leaving me behind to pick up the pieces. You can be pretty hard to deal with," she confessed with a sigh. There was an pause where it seemed like she wasn't going to go on. "But... after hearing you say... the most hurtful words you could probably ever say to me... I've come to realize that I could never hate you. Even if you threw me out one day, if you... left me, I could never... hate you," there was raw emotion in her voice, so much of it... it was impossible to distinguish which emotions she was expressing.

Nic didn't say anything, eyes still closed. His hand clenched a little as the fight got a lot harder.

After a moment, Laurel reached out and put her hand on Nic's clenched one. "Stop trying to be perfect, Nic. No one is. I messed up too. I believed lies and didn't stop to think. I should have known you'd never betray me. I ran away. I ran away to the other side and now... now I... I'm..." she stopped for a moment, "Just stop beating yourself up, Nic," she finished quietly.

It looked like that was going to be rather difficult for him. He was starting to sweat a little, mind moving too fast. It wasn't clear if he had even heard her.

Laurel wiped some sweat off of his forehead. "Honestly... you're such a handful," she muttered. Mind moving too fast, huh? She leaned down and really kissed him, lingering on his lips as she put a hand on his cheek.

It took a moment, but Nic started to come back. Laurel's fingertips got a little wet with a few tears as Nic slowly kissed Laurel back. He was really hurting.

Laurel was hurting too, but surprisingly, no tears came as she continued to kiss Nic softly. Nic could tell something was different with Laurel, something inside of her that she wouldn't let him near. She finally pulled away, cupping his face in her hands and wiping his tears away gently. "Now, stay calm. As much as you hate it, you're as weak as a rabbit. If you get too upset and kick the bucket right now... then I'll probably hate you," she warned him as she leaned in and kissed his forehead. "Are you hungry? You should eat." she stated as she kissed his temple. Old habits die hard.

Nic managed to shake his head a little.