Tom just sat there as she talked, feeling a small kernel of hope at the fact she was babbling again...babbling meant she was thinking (and yes, probably overthinking), but thinking meant trying to understand, and that was a good start. It meant she wasn't walking out the door.

Then she finally stopped herself and kissed him with that wisecrack *he* should have made instead, but rather than ruminate on that fact, he just kissed her back, reaching out to haul her into his lap so she wasn't sitting cockeyed on the couch. Letting one hand rise to run through her hair, he finally broke the kiss with a small smirk.

"Why make me stop you?" he deadpanned, nose brushing hers as his breath ghosted across her face, fingers toying with the softness of her hair. "You seem to be doin' just fine on your own."