He wanted to reach across the gear shift to take one of those restless hands in his, to smooth his thumb along the back of her knuckles in a way that wasn't completely foreign, but meant considerably more now. It was habit as much Desdemona's fidgeting was habit. Something he'd done to help calm her nerves when they got to the point of manifesting. It was such a strong desire his hand was half way across the small space between them before he realized he'd started moving, but as he caught himself he paused.
It shouldn't have been this complicated. What they had between them was never meant to be anything but simple and fun, but at some point while she'd been gone Otto had realized his feelings for her had evolved beyond that. That to him it wasn't just casual anymore, and with every shared experience between them, good or bad, he felt their easy dynamic changing.
On the one hand that was exciting. He'd never felt this connected to anyone before. On the other hand it was terrifying, because it wasn't what Dessy had signed up for, and he wasn't sure what straw would be the one to break them.
When he took her hand he brought it up to his lips instead, deliberately avoiding doing what felt so natural to him. A reassurance that
shouldn't come with the extra weight of emotional baggage from a life that wasn't theirs but somehow was. "Tea it is, then."
He kissed her hand again before letting her go so he could get out of the car and let them into the building.