The irony of the moment doesn't escape Sookie. Sometimes, she feels like she's practically desperate for warmth — a statement more metaphorical than it is literal, though in the moment, Derek offers both. She sighs quietly between her lips when his hand spans over the small of her back, fingers spanning broadly across her skin. For a while, it feels like every last nerve in her body is focused on that brief area of contact, until suddenly his words hit her, deep and sudden and slightly off-center against her chest.

"I think that's 'cause you don't. Make happiness, I mean," she says, frowning briefly as she shifts, knees suddenly lightly on either side of Derek's hips as her hand balances her glass of whiskey precariously to the side. "The moment you try to make it, it feels false. Feels like a lie. It's not about making happiness, it's just..."

Her gaze blurs over for a moment, far away and unfocused.

"Letting it happen when the opportunity is there."

It's his eyes that she settles on first. She's seen them take on other colors before, though it's the dark shade that she thinks she likes the most well. Soft, quiet, and vulnerable. She hesitates for only a moment before leaning in, her cheeks too warm and blood rushing dizzily to her head, almost overwhelming all other sensation when she presses her lips softly against his.

Almost, but not quite.