He listened to her, and then he very lightly set his hand on her shoulder, not enough to sting, but enough for her to know it was there. "It was crazy, chaotic back there," he said soothingly, "it's hard to think and make decisions under such pressure."
"Do you know what I was before I came here?" he asked rhetorically, "before I came here...met you and Nyota?" He took a breath, "I was thief, I stole for a living," that was a simplification, he never had a choice in the matter, "I did things I'm not proud of." He looked to her, "many would say I wasn't a good person."
"The fact is we've all done things were not proud of, when we do those things, we have to keep going." his voice was calm and soothing, "and I don't blame you for anything that happened back there, like I said, things were crazy." He finished the last bit of his coffee, "what matters in the end is this........I care about you, I enjoy spending time with you, and I'm grateful for knowing you. Thank you."
Klef shook her head, she wanted to believe that he was right, that it just slipped her mind. Even with the absolute chaos that was yesterday, she knew James would have looked out for her, he would have made sure she got in the van with him if the tables had turned.
She didn't mind that his hand was on her shoulder either. It still stung, but it was not the same scorching pain that she usually felt when a human touched her . Having someone by her side allowed her slightly more freedom to move without knocking something down.
Her eyes widened while she silently listened to him, she felt guilty being so gripped by the feeling of curiosity. She had always assumed that James' childhood was as calm and mild as his personality, she would have never imagined that he was a criminal. It had became common knowledge that one's past did define a person, yet he had her completely baffled. While it felt like her head was spinning, she kept a poker face.
" You're right," she replied, there was not much else to say, " the past is in the past, and that's ok." It was not necessarily true in Klef's case, there was nothing more she wanted than to see her uncle again which was only plausible through time travel.
Her cheeks reddened, flattered James thought of her the way he did. Looking back, she thought she was more of a pest than anything. She liked spending time with James just as much, he was like an anchor to her. " I-I do too, I just wish I cared more." She lowered her head, her hair castes a shadow over her face, hiding it. Tears started dribbled down her cheek, she pushed the plate away from her. " I wish you had told me earlier, I wish I met you earlier... I could have helped you the way you help me... I just think you're so.... good... all you do is care for others... and as much as I wish I could be... I'm not like you... I'm sorry that I won't be able to make this all up to you."
