Ford wavered, unsure what to make of that. If Macnair had asked him to miss the wedding it would have been telling, because that was probably what Ford would have done had their positions been reversed. That was why he'd been so hesitant to ask in the first place; it wasn't that the offer itself was difficult, but rather that Macnair's answer might illuminate how he was feeling and what he was thinking in a way that his words had only hinted at so far. Of course, if Ford took Macnair's words at face value he had his answer, but he didn't think he could. That was the sort of thing someone might say while flirting; it could be fake. The tone of his voice gave some hint, but it wasn't as clear of an indication as admitting he didn't want Ford there would have been. There was vulnerability in that, because it meant he wasn't strong enough to go through it himself — or maybe that he was afraid of something after all. In any case, if he'd said yes Ford knew he would have believed it, in a way he wasn't sure he could given how Macnair had responded instead.

"I don't want you to be miserable, either," he said carefully.

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