Rouge was practically ablaze when he kissed and embraced her. It was different this time. She was still very much attracted to him, but doing things in a more controlled, mutual manner left her feeling more... comfortable with the situation somehow, as if him having more of a say in the matter solidified the notion that he liked her as much as she liked him. It was quite a willing thing this time on his part, and if she'd been in her right mind, she probably would have been very anxious about his reaction. She was putting herself in the most vulnerable situation she'd been in in a while, and if he reacted poorly, she would've taken it poorly. Soul-crushingly poorly, she realized.

Through all her mulling, he was still kissing her. He wasn't having regrets or pulling away. Now she was sure it was his decision to do this and not a reaction to her prodding and pushing. She never would have thought she could be more enamored with someone, but there she was.

She responded by leaning more into the kiss and touching his cheek tenderly, both as a subtle signal for him to keep at it and as a way to show the genuine affection she had for him at that moment. Affection, gratitude, and trust, even. It was wonderful.