Lucy blinked in confusion, mulling over his words and reaction. But then, with his question, puzzle pieces she hadn't realized, hadn't seen, began to click into place in her brain. It changed the entire perspective of the conversation, of how the young man was acting. She knew she still needed to proceed with caution, but perhaps a different type than before.
"...I think that's something we can both agree on," She said, her tone more gentle than before. "Michael deserves to be safe and happy. That's all I could ever want for him."
She wouldn't say anything further than that unless he said more. God forbid she was wrong in what she was thinking, the results could be mortifying and dangerous for her and Michael both.
The rapid movement of his fist jolted her back from her thinking and nearly caused her to flinch.
"Of course Sam would," The two looked different enough that the relation wasn't obvious at first glance, and more than once Michael's friends hadn't realized just who they had chosen to mess with. "But out of the two of them Sam's never been the one to hold a grudge. But I can't say that Michael's ever been quick to forgive anyone who messes with his brother."
That laugh and his mocking hurt her heart. But, with what she was suspecting, she could understand how the world could have turned someone so young so cold. She tried not to take her cruelty personally.
"That isn't it though..." She again met his coldness with gentle warmth. "People do remember. Our first night here, I ran into a woman who's husband went missing. She's out there looking for him and hanging up more posters every day. And Pete... I'll remember him. I'd been looking forward to working with him, to getting to know him. People move on, sure, they don't have another choice, but that doesn't mean they don't remember. If Sam or Michael were to go missing, I could never forget them, and I know they'd do the same for me. And I'm sure your brothers would feel the same way about you."
Oh... oh. She'd have to be having a conversation with Max. Some of his statements had already raised some red flags, but most she was willing to talk through and work out. There were some things, though, that she drew a hard line on.
"Just a walk, nothing else to it," She said with a sigh. Sure, Max was incredibly charming, kind and sweet toward her, but she was nowhere near ready for something serious yet. "He was showing me around to help get reacquainted with everything here. Michael's not the only one who could use a friend right now, after all."
Maybe something would bloom between her and Max, but too, maybe it wouldn't. It was far too early to say, but regardless, she was thankful to have him as a friend.
"...I don't think I caught your name the other night. Mind sharing it with me now? It might help for me to know if Michael is going to be spending more time around you."