break down these walls that we've built around ourselves

[with_diamonds]

It had been a long night. A better night, in fact, than usual, which really should have been Lucy's first indication that something had to give. Usually, good was something relative here, just meaning that anything awful had been kept to a minimum, but this, it was something different, something to be acted on. Out on the boardwalk, her bony

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[defected]

Having spent the better part of an hour - possibly longer - cleaning himself up, Bryce was bone-tired by the time he finally changed into a pair of light, drawstring sweatpants. (Shirts were never bothered with; he lived alone and rarely entertained guests.) His intent was to climb into bed and collapse for the next four to six hours, a plan which went awry the moment his head grazed the pillow. If the knock at his door was unexpected, hearing Lucy's voice muffled behind it was downright startling. He was out of bed instantly, tearing through the expanse of his hut in record time (modest as said hut was, he was no more breathless when he reached the door than he had been only moments ago).

"What's wrong?" he asked, eyes automatically taking in the terrain behind her, though in search of what, he wasn't yet certain. He knew only that Lucy both sounded and looked troubled, and that whatever the problem, he was determined to solve it. "Are you okay?"

[with_diamonds]

Seeing him there, for a moment, Lucy couldn't help her breath catching in her throat, lips parting in the absence of a response. It just figured, of course, that he would answer the door shirtless; that he was such a good-looking guy wasn't what had brought her here, but it served now to make her exponentially more nervous. For a split second, she even considered making something up, a different reason why she might have shown up to his door in the middle of the night. The idea, though, was one she dismissed quickly. If she didn't say something now, she never would, and she couldn't keep carrying this around on her own. Not even for Ryan's sake was there any sense in putting it off. He was gone now, and the way she felt looking at Bruce was proof enough that she was acting on a certainty

[defected]

No.

It was a bad idea, a terrible idea, and his immediate answer should have been no. He should have sent her on her way as soon as he was sure she was okay - hell, even walking her back home would be a better alternative to letting her come in. He had, up until now, relied more heavily environmental circumstances than even he realized. Wherever they were, it was usually in the open; even when they were isolated, total solitude was never a guarantee. There was no risk, in short, of either of them losing control in areas where they most certainly should have been retaining control

[with_diamonds]

"I know," Lucy replied, not bothering to try to hide a wince. She wasn't going to say she was sorry - at least, not yet; that was being saved for if this crashed and burned - but she couldn't help feeling a little guilty. It was the middle of the night, she didn't want to worry him; basically, she was being a first-class idiot in every way possible. Even sitting here now, looking up at him, she was entirely aware of it. That was all the more reason, though, to get it over with. "It was a little unexpected for me, too. Everything's fine, I swear. But