[ Because isn't the best defense, and what solid reasons she can find — she doesn't trust that he will absorb him, distraught and lost in his own thoughts as he is. And so she focuses solely on trying to calm him, uncaring that she's nude beneath the mess of blankets she's swaddled around the both of them, and cups the back of his skull as she urges him closer to her chest. That's where she keeps him, tucked against her sternum and close to the cadence of her heartbeat, hoping the gentle rhythm can convey what she can't. ]

Because I care about you. [ She says slowly, as though locating the words as she speaks them. Her fingers smooth through his hair. ] I don't need a reason to care about you, Ben.

[ It doesn't feel fair for him to doubt the truth of that. She hadn't demanded one from him when he had declared I love you so abruptly, even if she continues to struggle with his reasoning. More's to the point, she doesn't have a sufficient answer for him if he were to ask why. All she knows is that she does, regardless of whether anyone approves. ]

I don't have to do anything. [ Her nose nudges against his scalp as she tucks her mouth against the crown of his head. She doesn't have to do anything, but he is missing one vital piece of information. ] But I want to. You need to accept that.