"Man, I've been trying to figure it out. You don't make me uncomfortable, but... Hm. I guess the closest comparison is..." Rory thought very carefully about her next words because putting them right was fucking important here. "I want... to make my people happy. I want them to be okay. You kind of fall in there now, and I never expected that. It's throwing me off a little."
Broen shrugged. He seemed to do a lot of that with Rory and the Junior Woodscouts involved. "I mean. Whatever makes you happy, I guess. Just don't expect me to, like appreciate you mom-friending me. I don't need that shit. I'm not gonna say no to it, but I don't need it."
"That's the thing, I don't expect anything. In fact, I'll be surprised if you don't end up hating me." And Rory wondered, not for the first time if she were strong enough to handle that.
Broen watched Rory and shook his head. "You're a fuckin' dumbass. Hating you is too close to loving you. And you know what else?"