[beyond interprets that phrase - the people i care about - to mean him, and for a moment, he visibly bristles. this is unfamiliar territory for him, and it's extremely uncomfortable. he shifts in his chair, dropping his attention to a stray thread at the hem of his jeans, watching silently as he winds it around the tip of his index finger. finally, after the silence has had time to grow heavy between them, he asks, quietly:]
Cassel ... why did you say that you like me?
[it's not his real question; beyond has a good enough idea of how cassel operates to understand that he says things because they are true. what he really wants to know is why do you like me?]
action.
Cassel ... why did you say that you like me?
[it's not his real question; beyond has a good enough idea of how cassel operates to understand that he says things because they are true. what he really wants to know is why do you like me?]