She's pacing when she hears a knock at the door, frustrated that she couldn't come up with a decent apology. Baking was ruled out right away since last time she tried, she set the smoke alarm off; and if that was the result of an attempt at simple peanut butter cookies, then trying to make creampuffs would result in her finding a new place to live for sure. The second option of working out the perfect apology wasn't going too well either. Everything was a mess. So when the knock came, it was a nice surprise... until she opened the door and found herself in front of Nagihiko. Shocked, she tries to say something only for it to come out as a dumfounded question. "U-uh, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you." He sounds a bit out of breath causing her to eye him a bit more critically and spot a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. He rolls his sleeves up his forearms and she notices his veins protruding more than usual from under his skin. "Ah," he says a bit awkwardly, feeling nervous under her intense scrutiny, "may I come in?" He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, wondering if that was rude of him to ask after everything that had happened.

"No!" She blurts out, "I'm not ready yet! I still have to apologize to you!" Rima pinks as she realizes what she said and scowls. Out of all the times to let her panic get the better of her and make her lose her cool, it just had to be now. The plan was supposed to be her giving him a heartfelt apology after making a physical effort to make amends, not meeting him before she knew what to say! Sighing and resisting the urge to facepalm in front of him, she makes a defeated gesture allowing him to enter her apartment. After all, what else did she have to lose? He probably already thought she didn't want to see him or, even worse, hated him. He brushes past her gracefully.

"I, uh, was going to try and talk to you after I planned out what to say." She closes the door and hesitantly turns to face him. Her eyes flit to his face briefly before they land on her feet and stay there. She's barefoot and has toenails that have to be clipped. Where did she put the clippers again? The clock hanging on the kitchen wall ticks loudly as it counts down another second gone by. The lack of words gets to her and she begins to fidget with her shirt, picking off non-existant strands of long curly hair and wondering how long straightening it would take. Probably a few hours. And a lot of hairspray. Well, at least her bangs were straight. Why was her heart beating so loud in her chest? Was it her fight or flight instinct? Probably. The silence only makes it worse. How's her nails? She studies them with unecessary scrutiny and tries to calm herself down. No need to lose her cool in front of the same person twice in one day. She just has to remember to breath.

"I forgive you."

Her head snaps up to look at the man standing before her, surprised at the broken silence. "What?" Her voice is just above a whisper.

"I forgive you."

Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to say something, but, being unable to find the right words, just breathes out "Thank you," before relief overwhelms her. Then the unwanted tears come and he rushes to her side. Pulling her close, he lets her sob into his chest. She repeats the words "Thank you" and "I'm so sorry" again and again to him as she cries, thankful to have her friend back. He just holds her close, grateful that the distance would no longer grow between them. Moving to the couch, he waits until she's all cried out to ask her how she feels. By now she's practically asleep, head resting on his shoulder. Still, she mumbles out her answer. His eyes widen before he gives her a gentle smile that she misses. Pulling her closer to him, he places a kiss on the top of her golden head and whispers, "I've finally returned home too." before falling asleep himself.