[her chest tightens, ears burning with those words. they make her want to cry, but she'll fight that to the last hiccuping breath to avoid - she's so exhausted of crying, be it out of misery or otherwise. her head tilts in against his shoulder, under the chin, her hand curling against his clavicle at the hem of his tank top.]

I, I-I don't think I'd...be doing even half as well without you, Darin. And I know that--somehow, you mattered before. Because it'll hurt, sometimes...in that way something out of reach hurts. And because you were the one who appeared... That dance, right? Other people saw figments of people they missed...

[quietly:] I saw you.