The girl grinned at the boys comment, and couldn't help but feel light. Everything he'd said just seemed... fresh, she supposed. She'd been called pretty before... in the taverns and on the streets, but it wasn't genuine. It was because they wanted something, and it wasn't something she'd give up easily. Sage meant it, though... and he wasn't trying to get anything from her. It was nice, and she did like hearing it from him. She chuckled lightly, though it was almost like a shy giggle. "I don't think I can get used to it," she hummed lightly before rolling back onto her side with a grin. "Say it again, I liked it from you," she hummed with a sheepish laugh.

Sage felt his face redden slightly more when the girl asked him to say it again, a kind of disbelieving laugh escaping his mouth before he chuckled at his own awkward flusteredness, or whatever the heck you'd call it. He looked over at the girl with a cocked head and giggled, almost in a shy manner. "Well you are," he hummed. "You're pretty. And smart, and kind, and funny and..." He trailed off slightly, making an amused and slightly embarrassed face. "And now we're both flustered because my mouth has decided to speak for itself today," he added on to the list. "Do you think the doctor gave me a pill that made me fess up to all this," he joked, knowing it wasn't true but also not knowing why he couldn't seem to control his mouth tonight. Though, their faces were so close now...and they were both staring at eachother. Her eyes were...gorgeous, and he found himself entranced by them. Warning bells sort of were going off in the back of his head, but he sort of wished he could just ignore them. But this had happened before...and he couldn't help but wonder how this would all turn out.

Mari grinned at the boy, and couldn't help how completely and utterly flustered she was... they were boy bright red at this point. She would have teased him, but it wouldn't end well for her, because she was just as embarrassed as him. She was even more flushed than she was before if that was even possible now. She watched as he let words spill out of his mouth, and her stupid grin only got bigger. It was still nice to hear, even if he hadn't meant for any of it to slip out. She grinned and gave a bit of a hum of a nervous giggle. "You should let your mouth speak for itself more often... I'm liking this," she teased lightly with an amused giggle. She then chuckled at his next comment and gave a half-shrug. "I'll have to thank him if he has... this Sage awfully flattering," she mused lightly. It was quiet for a moment or so, but she soon found herself caught up in his eyes... so bright, so fiery, and they suited him in every way. Her eyes eventually fell to his lips for a moment, a split second before trailing back up to his golden amber eyes. She took a soft breath in as she tried to let her thoughts gather... Sage had said a relationship wouldn't be fair, that he needed to sort himself out first... and she wasn't ready for one either, but if that was the case, then why did she have the urge to lean forward and kiss him? Why was she thinking about that now? She should wait... she should, they had all the time in the world. But right now she was almost having trouble looking away from him.

Sage dimly heard the girl talk, and he knew he should respond. He struggled to think of the words, though, right then...he was having a difficult time thinking of anything but the girl. And, well, whether or not he should initiate a kiss...he'd noticed her eyes flicker, but she'd had someone else for so long. He wasn't sure it would be fair for him to initiate that. He let out a kind of breathy chuckled after a moment, a small smile forming on his lips. "Maybe I'll take that advice," he hummed quietly. Heck, if that's what it took to get the girl to love him, then he'd flirt with her all she wanted. Because right now, all he could think about was how much he hoped this girl liked him as much as he liked her. He couldn't imagine ever having have loved someone else....he felt a bit bad about it, but Anya no longer cared for him in that way either so...this was alright. Wasn't it?

The girl kind of half chuckled at his comment... really, she'd like anything he did, and he knew that... but she did find the flirting amusing, and she liked it with Sage, because it wasn't just messing around... she genuinely meant everything she said, and she really did like him... a lot of it started off as a joke, but it wasn't really just a joke anymore. When she joked and said she loved him... she wasn't sure if it was just teasing. She wasn't sure if she could truly love anyone again, not after the last guy, but Sage was proving that she maybe could... it was a bit too soon to be sure, but she definitely liked him, like a lot. This was a date, so they could kiss, right? He'd let her? She wasn't sure... she still wasn't sure how he felt about it... or about her, if she was completely honest. She knew he liked her, but she wasn't sure if that was what he wanted right then.

Sage did find it helpful that the girl could laugh....though he knew that they were both a bit distracted right about then. Though, he didn't know what exactly was distracting the girl. Was it him? Or was she worried that he'd gone too deep, it might try and go too far? He found himself searching the girl's face for any kind of sign that proved she felt the same way about him he felt for her. He was still a bunch of problems...but some had been fixed, so maybe, over time, other would get solved too. He had a stable home now, and could stay alive long enough for a stable relationship. And he wouldn't be sleeping with other women...so it was definitely a bit more fair than it was the week or so ago he'd told the girl he just wasn't sure. Because right then, he really, really wished he could have someone to love, and who'd love him the same way. He had the doctor, and Amber....but that was different than this. But his face was open ....he loved the girl, and he wanted her to know that. But he also needed a sign that she loved him. Because he didn't know, and he was so used to people leaving him he couldn't help but worry.

Mari glanced between his eyes for a moment or so... and she could see everything he was thinking... everything he was feeling. And she couldn't help but feel almost... bad about it. She did like Sage - and she wanted to love him. Well, she did. She did love him, but she was struggling to feel alright about just forgetting the love she had for someone else... it almost felt wrong... but he was gone, and Sage was here... right in front of her, searching for any sign that she felt the same for him. The girl let out a kind of hesitant breath before reaching a hand out and gently placing it on the back of his neck, her thumb trailing softly up and down his skin. Her gaze softened a little, deciding this was what she wanted... anyone could see it on her face, but in truth, she was a little nervous to make a move of any kind.

Sage sort of half flinched away from the girls hand, though he wasn't quite sure why. Maybe he'd half expected the girl to lash out, if she didn't feel the same way. But that was quite the opposite of what she was thinking, if he was reading her right. In all honesty, he wasn't very good with people...reading expressions and such, since he never had to. His entire life was spent looking for when someone got mad or upset, and then running from them. Or fighting, though he normally had tried his best to just avoid any interaction. But now, in times like this, he thought the girl was telling him she loved him, but now he was doubting himself again. He leaned into her hand slightly, but almost heasitantly too. What if he wasn't enough? He certainly didn't feel like enough, but she'd told him she didn't mind his flaws...so why couldn't he believe her that he was worth her time? His stomach felt twisted in knots, and you could almost see the war in his eyes. He wanted her, he did love her, but he wasn't sure of himself...that he was what she wanted. She'd had a love life, she'd found someone perfect for her...and he didn't think he'd be the one she was looking for. But man....he hoped he was.

Mari felt her absent-minded smile kind of turn into a bit of a frown when the boy tried to flinch away. She just kind of went stiff for a moment, and kind of felt her heart drop. Did he really expect her to do something that would hurt him? She knew he couldn't help it, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit disheartened. She was giving him a sign that this was alright... that she loved him, and he almost seemed scared. This was what she wanted, it was, but had she read him wrong? Had she done something to make him want out of this situation? She leaned away again a little bit, though kept her hand gently on his neck since he was leaning into it. She could almost see that he was struggling... it wasn't her fault, she didn't think... but it seemed like he just wasn't very sure of himself. She hoped he knew nothing had to happen... that she didn't care what would happen if he was with her. As much as she just wanted to lean forwards and kiss him, she didn't want to do that if it wouldn't make him feel good about himself. "You okay?" she eventually whispered to the boy, her brows ever so slightly furrowed.

Sage felt a bit guilty when the girl sat back a little bit, though he could tell she was a bit confused. He thought he knew what the girl was thinking...more so now that she looked a bit dissapointed he was nervous. He lifted a shoulder in a shrug in response to her question, letting out a kind of sheepish chuckle. "I just...you had someone. Someone better," he admitted. "I mean...I'm not very much. I already messed this up," he pointed out, in a rather bitter and regretful tone. "Do ..do you really want me," he asked quietly, dropping his gaze, honestly terrified of the girls response. He wanted this, he really did, he just didn't think he was someone the girl would want. She'd found someone perfect and, well, he wasn't perfect. It was quite the opposite, in fact.