As Allegra questioned what he was thanking her for, Adam shrugged, forgetting for a moment that she couldn’t actually see that response. “All of this. For… moving away and closing your eyes,” he explained half-jokingly, smiling. “I mean, for tr—”

“I love you.”
He stopped abruptly, mildly startled by the statement, then smiled again. “I love you, too.” He absorbed her expression for another moment then lowered his gaze to their hands, listening as she questioned where else she would be. Without an answer, Adam remained silent, thoughts beginning to cloud his mind just as Allegra spoke again, assuring him that he could tell her anything. Or nothing. He smiled at this, looking up at her again, when she gently asked him not to leave yet. The boy’s smile faltered, an uneasy feeling washing over him.

“I won’t,” he promised softly, placing another kiss to the back of her hand. “Leave yet, I mean,” he clarified, just in case she thought he was replying to her earlier suggestion. Shifting his attention to that idea, Adam’s brows furrowed thoughtfully. “…You know you can tell me anything too, right?” he asked. “I mean, I know I’ve been lousy at listening this week… probably longer than that, but… I want to listen to you, too. I want—I want you to count on me too, Moon.” He knew it was an absurd thing to request after his recent behaviour, that it would take Allegra time to trust him again, but he just needed to let her know. To communicate.