"Well now you know, so you have no more excuses," she quips back, that crooked smile putting in another appearance. This one does reach her eyes as she starts to relax.

As she starts to consider what he's telling her in the present rather than the past tense.

"That sounds hard." She thinks again of Jesus, but they're from very close together; he didn't live a whole life here without her or vice versa before they were brought together again. And for however close they are - and they are - they are still just friends.

Jacob and Vrenille sound like more. "For both of you."