Richard Shaw noticed her attempt to keep him from leaving, so he wisely relented and didn't mention leaving again.
The man, meticulous in his thoughts, naturally picked up on Leah's unease about having a big man living in her home. By proposing to leave and having her ask him to stay, he effectively blocked off any chance of departure.
Habits are a terrifying thing. After a while, when she's grown accustomed to his presence, everything will fall into place. Richard Shaw had patience in abundance.
Richard Shaw took canned beer and marinated snacks out of the fridge and asked in a deep and enticing voice, "Can't sleep? Care for a can?"
Leah had no resistance against spicy marinated snacks, and feeling a bit hungry, her almond-shaped eyes lit up as she nodded.
The man turned on the wall lamp in the small garden outside, and the two sat on the open-air wooden bench, looking at the night sky, drinking beer, eating spicy snacks, and chatting like long-lost friends who'd just reunited.
