[ —oh.

of all the possibilities emma had considered, that had not been one of them.

at first, she isn't sure whether she's more startled by his announcement or by the strange flurry of confusion and an immediate and visceral reaction of— ]

No.

[ the word flies from her lips before she can stop it. it's not exactly a dignified response, she realizes belatedly, and if she wasn't so startled, she might have apologized for how abrupt it comes. ]

I mean—

[ what does she mean? that's probably where she feels most caught, trying to explain for herself why she so desperately doesn't want him to go, but it's a thought she's been running circles around for weeks now. ever since she first saw his hat hung by her door. ever since coming back to her house started to feel like home again.

she steadies herself, tries again. her voice comes steadier, that resolve creeping into her tone like it so often does when she's made up her mind about something. ]

If this is about yesterday, don't feel like you need to leave because of those men. It was dealt with just fine.