It was in the subtle things. The way that she grabbed his beer and took a deep draught like it belonged to her. Reminiscent of nights spent under an awning, watching the rain pitter and patter onto the darkened streets of Southie, passing a drink back and forth. As though they still had that deep familiarity and intimate connection that had defined their childhood. Did Mau still think they had that? Perhaps. In Ryan’s mind it had been eroded away by years of separation and conflict, the nostalgic taps of raindrops drowned out by the drumbeats of bullets.<br/><br/>His memories were banished back to the back of his mind with a sudden movement from Mau. His body tensed as she swung over the counter, unexpectedly nestling herself in his lap, legs resting intimately behind his back. Unexpected? It was, to him. For less than a millisecond, he had reacted almost like Mau was going to attack him, rather than swing into a position they had shared thousands of times in the past. It was clearly an expected thing to Mau. As her familiar weight settled into his lap, his wandering mind slowly elucidated the newfound divides between the two of them.<br/><br/>Mau reached for his face easily, feeling for scars, lines, the etchings of time. Ryan flinched. He had shared nights of heated and desperate passion with a number of women abroad, but few had felt for him with the same kind of simple intimacy that Mau acted with. So, Ryan recoiled slightly, his neck tilting just barely back and away from Mau’s gentle fingers. Action by action, the boundary that five years had drawn between them was being demarcated. Mau still thought nothing had changed. Ryan knew that everything had.<br/><br/>Or had it? So much different, so much familiar. He didn’t want to think, but he was being forced to. “I’m done being a soldier, Mau,” Ryan replied, shaking himself out of his thoughts. “But I’m not coming back to Southie. I stopped by Boston because Jackson wanted a favor from me, but I never meant to stay. Thought I’d drop by Sully’s, for all the memories, not for the commitment.”<br/><br/>Ryan sighed. “It’s been what, five years? That’s a long time. Southie’s still about the same as it always is, but I’m not. Step outside, see the bigger world – get a new sense of perspective.”