[The hug catches Alex off guard honestly, but she she still returns the tightness of it, the hold for as long as he wants too before she lets go of him. He smells good to her in ways that he hadn't before. Not that he'd smelt bad (well, not since he'd started showering again and not sleeping in his office) to her before, but this is entirely something different than his normal expensive cologne. This is something that makes her feel safe and secure and honestly it smells kind of (more than kind of) home-like to her. It was probably the scent of the fire and musk that did it.

Alex herself knows that she smells of the normal coffee and of lilies that have just opened. Even without perfume, which is weird. Because her normal perfume definitely doesn't have anything lily within it.

But when he frowns at her, Alex looks down and frowns at the dress that she's wearing again. Normally she probably would have shifted, or done something to cover the more exposed parts of her chest up but today and now Alex doesn't. She knows that it's good that he's looking. More than that she likes that he's looking. That he should be looking.

Still, she laughs softly.]

Would you believe that two women caught me on my way out of the market and forced me into this? The makeup too. And [Alex just reaches up and touches the flowers in her hair.]

They were kind of obsessed with the idea that I needed to find someone.