That was really all the elaboration Raine had planned to give Genis on the subject. He was confused about how she had gone from completely uninterested to very attached; that was a way of summing things up without giving unnecessary detail.

In the moment after he apologized, Raine blinked at him, startled. She'd been considering that she had changed, as people do when left to grow, as even the slightest of outside factors may produce. She hadn't quite thought that it might have been only his perceptions.

That beat, and then she pulled him into a hug in one smooth motion, relief in every bit of the gesture. "As am I," she said, quietly. "But I'm glad you're here. I missed you, Genis."