He actually asks her - well, sort of, in the way that Spencer asks about anything awkward - about Coop. He's the first person to actually ask her, and Raleigh... well. The way her brow had furrowed deepens. "I...." She pauses, and she tugs her lower lip between her teeth.
"I'm not good at dating," she says after a long pause. "I mean- Jason - you know Jason? We... We did the date thing. More than once, really, but-" She looks away, her shoulders tight. "The day after- uh. After I got back, when I was on crutches?" She looks down at her lap, because that's how she can refer to it, apparently. Not her being kidnapped, but just when she was on crutches. "I must have done something, because ... that was it. Done. Over." She says it quietly, and it's something that doesn't sit squarely, doesn't sit right. "And, uh-" She pauses again, and takes a breath. "Coop... he's-" She stops for a second, because this was why she kept making that face, because it's confusing.
"He's amazing," she says quietly, after a second. "When I'm around him, I feel like I'm the most- like I'm a princess, or- or that I'm special, and-" She pauses again, and her face is even more.. confused. She's trying to find the right words, and it's not even remotely easy. "But he's not... He's not. We're not dating. We've done things that I guess were dates, maybe? But we're not- he's not that guy." Her shoulders are oddly tight with tension, but it's more because of her bringing up the Jason thing, and... she sort of expects Spencer to tell her that she can't do whatever she's... doing. Whatever it is.
"I think whoever he's with at the time feels special," she says after a second, her voice quiet and oddly measured because she's been thinking about it for a while. "It's part of who he is. But we're... friends. I care about him a lot. I just-" She swallows thickly. "I wouldn't change him. Change... it." She wouldn't. If Coop came to her tomorrow and said that he'd thought about it, and he just wanted to be with her, that he wanted it to be a thing, for him to be her boyfriend... she'd think he hit his head, or something. Or it was a joke that she didn't understand. Part of that is that she can tell he's special. He's really special, and she's just... sort of normal, but it's not even that. Not in the depth of it. It's maybe that he genuinely appreciates so many aspects of people that one person would never be enough to tick all those boxes, and she sort of... doesn't care.
He's good, he makes her feel good. He makes her feel- he makes her feel like she could do anything, like the things she does are honestly brilliant. She cares about him, and that feeling may change, it may grow, but even if it did, she wouldn't change him, or the sort of dynamic they have. She trusts him, and she knows - somehow, "I know that he'd never just... go away." She says it quietly, after that long pause. "The way Jason did." It hurt her- that's clear on her face, and she's never even mentioned it before, that when she was going through so much, he'd also just... completely faded out of her life.
"Uh-" She looks away, and he changes the subject and she's glad, even though it's not to better things. "It's not Joel's cup of tea, either. Too crowded." Raleigh clears her throat, but then-- he says it was his fault, and her brows shoot up. "Spencer." She interrupts him, because it's important. It's really important, to her.
"Whatever happened, it's not your mess. If Joel chose to defend you, okay. If you weren't there, that's okay, too, but he's not cleaning up after your mess, and he doesn't always do that." She's concerned, she's worried over him the way she always does. "It's just what happened, it's not your mess. Okay?"
She exhales when he's saying it's not on him, and she's concerned. She is, but she nods. "I know, honey. That's the hard part. It's- Feeling strong, that's the hard part. Being strong, weirdly? Less hard than feeling it." She leans forward, and for just a second she squeezes his hand. "You are strong, though. You know that? You really are, I promise."
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"I'm not good at dating," she says after a long pause. "I mean- Jason - you know Jason? We... We did the date thing. More than once, really, but-" She looks away, her shoulders tight. "The day after- uh. After I got back, when I was on crutches?" She looks down at her lap, because that's how she can refer to it, apparently. Not her being kidnapped, but just when she was on crutches. "I must have done something, because ... that was it. Done. Over." She says it quietly, and it's something that doesn't sit squarely, doesn't sit right. "And, uh-" She pauses again, and takes a breath. "Coop... he's-" She stops for a second, because this was why she kept making that face, because it's confusing.
"He's amazing," she says quietly, after a second. "When I'm around him, I feel like I'm the most- like I'm a princess, or- or that I'm special, and-" She pauses again, and her face is even more.. confused. She's trying to find the right words, and it's not even remotely easy. "But he's not... He's not. We're not dating. We've done things that I guess were dates, maybe? But we're not- he's not that guy." Her shoulders are oddly tight with tension, but it's more because of her bringing up the Jason thing, and... she sort of expects Spencer to tell her that she can't do whatever she's... doing. Whatever it is.
"I think whoever he's with at the time feels special," she says after a second, her voice quiet and oddly measured because she's been thinking about it for a while. "It's part of who he is. But we're... friends. I care about him a lot. I just-" She swallows thickly. "I wouldn't change him. Change... it." She wouldn't. If Coop came to her tomorrow and said that he'd thought about it, and he just wanted to be with her, that he wanted it to be a thing, for him to be her boyfriend... she'd think he hit his head, or something. Or it was a joke that she didn't understand. Part of that is that she can tell he's special. He's really special, and she's just... sort of normal, but it's not even that. Not in the depth of it. It's maybe that he genuinely appreciates so many aspects of people that one person would never be enough to tick all those boxes, and she sort of... doesn't care.
He's good, he makes her feel good. He makes her feel- he makes her feel like she could do anything, like the things she does are honestly brilliant. She cares about him, and that feeling may change, it may grow, but even if it did, she wouldn't change him, or the sort of dynamic they have. She trusts him, and she knows - somehow, "I know that he'd never just... go away." She says it quietly, after that long pause. "The way Jason did." It hurt her- that's clear on her face, and she's never even mentioned it before, that when she was going through so much, he'd also just... completely faded out of her life.
"Uh-" She looks away, and he changes the subject and she's glad, even though it's not to better things. "It's not Joel's cup of tea, either. Too crowded." Raleigh clears her throat, but then-- he says it was his fault, and her brows shoot up. "Spencer." She interrupts him, because it's important. It's really important, to her.
"Whatever happened, it's not your mess. If Joel chose to defend you, okay. If you weren't there, that's okay, too, but he's not cleaning up after your mess, and he doesn't always do that." She's concerned, she's worried over him the way she always does. "It's just what happened, it's not your mess. Okay?"
She exhales when he's saying it's not on him, and she's concerned. She is, but she nods. "I know, honey. That's the hard part. It's- Feeling strong, that's the hard part. Being strong, weirdly? Less hard than feeling it." She leans forward, and for just a second she squeezes his hand. "You are strong, though. You know that? You really are, I promise."