Sophia felt terrible for making Tim feel so bad. In a way she really had been a bother to him, making him interact with her and talk to her. She realized the she had probably pushed him to his limit already, having inadvertently forced him to say what he was thinking of when most of it revealed his self-doubt and his short comings. But at the same time she couldn't help but be a little happy that he [i]did[/i] want to be her friend and that he liked her and he was trying hard. Really, really hard. Now she knew more about him and knew that she just needed to be more patient with him and not just assume her existence and actions bothered him like she had worried they had.

"Hold on a minute," Sophia said, turning her back to him. She closed her eyes, breathed deeply as she tried to sort through her emotions and gather her words. Eventually Sophia let out a heavy sigh. Finally she turned to face Tim again, her words, at least, in order now.

"I'm sorry, Tim," she apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to push you so much. I was actually really, really worried that I was just being a bother to you. But I'm glad that you do like me and that you want to be my friend, because I like you as well and also wanted to be your friend." Her words were coming out a little rushed now and it was easy to see that she was trying to keep her emotions in check and not cry. Sometimes Sophia was easily overtaken by her emotions and she hated that. Blinking away her un-shed tears Sophia managed to continue more calmly, "I'm really glad you came with me. I want to keep going. And I want to learn more about you, but just go at your own pace. If you ever feel like I'm pushing you too much just let me know and I'll try to give you your space." She finally finished and stood there with her cheeks colored pink, looking down at her feet in embarrassment with her hands still tucked in her pockets. She had yet to notice the noise created by gentle raindrops hitting the dead leaves underfoot.