Her heart hitched for a moment as her hand hovered in the air, wondering if she had seriously miscalculated. But then she felt the heat of his hand through her glove, the pressure of his own grip and she squeezed his hand. But there was that look on his face now, worry mixed with regret instead of the calm she had tried to assure him of.

Her brows wrinkled in disagreement as she listened to him, a half whispered objection accompanied by a shake of her head as he spoke, "No." But he drew her in to him, his arms strong around her. For the first time she didn't have to find a strength so few believed she had, his embrace did that for her. Every movement seemed to contradict his words. "You wouldn't be who you are if you hadn't." She whispered into his neck, wondering how something so new could feel so very right. "Please don't think so low of yourself." Malou added, pushing back slightly to force him to look at her. If anything she didn't deserve him for a multitude of reasons, one of which was her own age.