For all that Einin was being hard on Clint, even she noticed the change in his demeanor, from "suave"and confident, to...oddly nervous as he said the words. And though it was easy to vehemently reject his advances when he was being so...so inappropriate, she looked back over at him when he'd finished, and the anger flooded out of her.
Because right then, in that moment, he wasn't Clint-the-annoying-perverted-kid-whose-skin-she-was-trying-to-save. He was...
He was Clint her friend, and right then, he looked not only sincere, but also vulnerable.
Einin bit her bottom lip and played with a lock of pink hair, brushing her fingers through it over and over again.
Kia help her.
"Oh, Clint, I..." She let out a sigh, shoulders drooping, and flicked her hair back over her shoulder. How to handle this? This wasn't Clint playing, this was him being serious, and for all her bluff and bluster, she didn't actually want to hurt his feelings.
Stepping over to the window, she took a seat on the ledge and reached for his hand. Then she looked up into his eyes, expression sober. "Clint, I know that probably took a lot of courage just now, but...but you're my friend," she said at last, wincing even as she said it. Was that the right thing? The right wording? Ugh, she was terrible at this! "You're like a little brother to me. It'd just...it'd just be too weird! I still like you, though! Just...not like that. You know?"
She chewed her lip again, heart beating fast. "A-and I'm sure you've heard a lot of things! But I'm just...uh...honestly, I'm kind of really confused right now. About a lot of things. Like, I'm under a lot of pressure to marry and everything, and...I'm sorry."