Photogenic

Rocky grows quiet for just a moment, thinking as their food comes. Picking around his chicken, he finally looks up at Jess again. "I... have a confession to make."

A sheepish grin rises. "Carson and I had a nice chat last night, and... I asked him about who you were." His tone remains casual, his eyes still lit with interest, not disapproval. "I hope you're not offended. I just..." He shrugs. "...wanted to know more about you."

The look on his face shows sincerity. His intentions were pure. "As for not having a special spot, I didn't for a long time either."

Rocky shifts the conversation right back around again, always casual and warm, not missing a beat to draw attention to anything. "Then I discovered a little spot out on the river a ways from here. There's an old wooden dock at a nice gentle bend in the river. And on a nice day it's just a breeze and the sound of water and the sound of birds. Secluded from the world, and never closer to God."

His smile broadens a little. "I should take you there sometime. I don't mind sharing." A wink is quick to follow. "In the meantime though, next time I come over to your place, I could go a hand or two at a card game. All I've had to play with lately is Max and... he's not much of a challenge." He chuckles. His mention of going back over to Jess' place had just rolled off his tongue without a second thought.


Though Scott doesn't respond, Hope's words don't fall on deaf ears. Scott knows. He knows that even though he'd never felt lower in his life, that people around him still cared. Even though in his mind he didn't think it was worth living right now, somewhere, deep in his heart, he knew that there was a reason to go on. There was light under that door... that could only mean that something better really did exist.

Realizing that Hope had walked around to be in front of him, he raises his eyes just enough that he could see her own, and searches her face for a moment. Why did she care? What made someone like her want to help someone like him?

Even though he suddenly shuts down, unwilling to be open anymore for now, his eye seems to glimpse something more, almost like a realization of something he hadn't noticed before. An ever-so-slight grin curls the very corner of his mouth. "Next time I come..." He hesitates. "Can I take your picture? You're very photogenic."