"Are you okay?" Ruth asked after five minutes of silence, looking at his face to make sure he was not hiding anything from her.
He remained silent for a minute before sighing. "I think I will." He managed to say as they sat on the balcony of his office.
Ruth nodded her head. She was very uncomfortable bringing that topic up, but she felt the need to do so.
"I... am sorry about Florence. She... it was unfortunate."
She sensed him tensing again beside her. What was going on in his head?
"What happened is in the past now." He replied, still looking ahead at the sleeping town.
"Do you... want to talk about it?" Ruth asked, then quickly added. "I know it might feel weird to speak about the woman... who was once a part of your life with your mate but... I... am here to listen."
In return, Ruth was again blessed with that same scrutinising look that she was receiving recently.
"It is alright if you don't want to talk about it." She whispered, shrinking back in her place.
