@littlest-lily Aww. I got some strong Minami-kun no Koibito vibes from their “hug.”
"You can stay here forever if you want…”
In other stories similar to this, such an offer by the biggo often provokes the more self-effacing tiny to respond with something like, “Be realistic. What if you get a girlfriend?” This is, of course, a test to get a glimpse at the biggo’s self-perception of his romantic ambitions. The tiny is typically pessimistic about such a possibility and is looking for either confirmation or a reason to hope.
Here, Evie is too wrapped up in the fantasy to risk disturbing it with such provocations. I wonder if she understands that Aiden, too, is entertaining a fantasy he doesn’t want to end.