"You can take the Virgil out of Lethe..." he starts, but knows it's not the time for jokes, even gentle ones. Alex's fingers lace with his, the squeeze she gives them strong and full of all her irritation and affection, that strange commingling that he's come to think of as uniquely hers. "I love you too."

Leaning in, he presses a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "Back to painting, or do you want to keep talking? I'll...if you want to hear more, I'll tell you. Anything you want to know."