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Again she materiaized out of nowhere, startling him all the more becuase he'd been trying so hard not to dwell on her. He flushed when she touched his hands, and for a moment thought that she'd unbutton his shirt again. So much for calming his heartbeat down. Even when she only helped him button it back up, he was shaken all over again. He stared at the floor beside her, not trusting himself to look at her. Couldn't she tell that she wasn't helping anything? He needed to be alone. Away from her.

He could have sworn that she was psychic. It was really quite frightening. But for once he was actually relieved that she was leaving him alone for a while. He watched her walk away for a moment, his hand playing self-consciously with his collar. She'd done his buttons up too high. Not too high...just higher than he was used to. He swallowed, shaking his head and sliding until he was sitting on his rear, leaning his head against the wall. He felt like he had a headache, but he knew he didn't. It was more like...a withdrawal.

From her?

He shuddered helplessly.

After a while he stood, dusting himself off. He'd best keep himself busy if he was going to keep his mind occupied.

So the hours slowly ticked by as he found various way sto amuse himself, most of them half-hearted at best. He found some paper and pens and wrote down some of the details on a case he should have been working on. That entertained him well until he got stuck. So he sketched. He'd taken a few art classes in his mind and wasn't half bad at sketching. But even that relaxing way of occupying his mind didn't work when he realized he was drawing her. In his arms. There was no mistaking it. He'd let his mind wander and the thoughts hidden in teh far back had come out on paper. He bunched it up and through it on the floor. It had gotten colder in the building. He'd taken his overshirt off at one point, now he threw it back on and stood, kicking the sketch away from him. He needed to move to keep himself warm. Or move to a warmer part of the building. It was too cold in this shop.

And maybe he ought to find Shade. Just to tell her...well, if they were going to be stuck together for a while longer, he ought to find a way to smooth things over with her. His mind made up, he went on his way to find her, buttoning up his overshirt on the way.

He could tell at least where she'd been by the shops that were open. He walked by them, peering into each one looking for her. Sort of. He was harrassed by a feeling of dread. What would he say to her when he found her? What could he say to her?

It was too late to run when she'd spotted him. Wait, why did he want to run? He had been looking for her. "Hey," he said pathetically after a pause. He smiled sheepishly at her for the lame greeting, walking closer to him, tense enough to bolt. "Getting cold?" He asked, also lamely.

He nearly melted under her gaze. He was tempted to open his arms and say "Well, I'll warm you up!" But he didn't. No, he couldn't. He swallowed, tearing his eyes from hers. "The vents are still open. That's why the cold is getting in. The shops closest to the doors are going to be the coldest. Lucky for us, the Food Court and the Bed, Bath, and Beyond are in the center of the mall, as well as the gym, so at least we won't freeze to death in the shower." He laughed at himself. He knew he was rambling, but it was the only way to keep occupied.

His voice petered out as she stepped closer, his heart jumping into his throat, and when her fingers touched his lips, his voice died altogether. He pulled away from her with a forced chuckle. "It's called smalltalk, Hon." The 'hon' had slipped out as easily as breath. He made no move to call it back, but continued plowing on. "It's how people speak to each other casually."