Sterling was well aware of that reaction within his boyfriend at that simple touch of his fingers, even if Henry attempted to still that teasing massage with his hand. He was attempting, perhaps foolishly so, to put his boyfriend at ease, to assure the man of his love for him even in spite of all that happened in the way he knew Henry would best understand. Those more physical gestures were a language of sorts that the other man seemed to excel at and yet, now, Henry was hesitating? It made him dreadfully nervous, truly. He had been trying to fix their relationship, if they even could come back from all that happened. He'd made every effort not to blame Henry, the boy almost desperate to keep his boyfriend around in spite of even the scars that littered his body in a near permanent reminder of that awful night - as if he could ever forget that in the first place. He knew well Henry wouldn't change, not here. His insistence entirely meant to reassure them both, even if that fear of it still clung to him, even if those nightmares still haunted him. It was surely that despair that had beset him during Henry's absence that had prompted such rashness within him and yet, it was there all the same.

Henry's admittance that he hardly trusted himself to do this, to put themselves in that same situation that they had been within before, caused a frown upon Sterling's lips. "I know....but...." His voice trailed off, leaving him entirely uncertain of what to say. Of course he was afraid, they were both afraid but...then what? What did that mean for them? He hardly protested as Henry pulled his hand away from that jeaned material, the boy's arm simply falling limply where Henry had released him. His own head bobbed slowly in agreement and yet, those bright blue eyes almost refused to glance upwards at the man he loved, as if he was quite near ashamed for even attempting in the first place. All of it left him unsure of what to do, of how to progress this, of how to reassure the man he loved. "I'm sorry." Those words were a soft whisper on his lips as he quickly made some effort to apologize for his unwanted advances. He was silent for several moments longer before his lips parted, "Are....are you going to stay the night?" He questioned, though whether or not he was referring to his own bed or the apartment at large still remained to be seen.

STERLING TENEMBRAGE