Having to move so slowly is still nerve-wracking but there's a rhythm to it, and Melanie's seemingly infinite calm is helping him keep the anxiety from overflowing.

The door closes and there's a stretch of silence which Daniel has no idea if he should consider that good or bad (good, he suspects, right?), and then Melanie sighs and takes his hand.

Definitely good.

"Yeah," he breathes back, half-grinning despite himself. "Thanks. I, uh, don't know what I would've - yeah. Thanks."