[A shadow crosses Alfie's face, and his fingers curl more tightly around his mug of tea.]

He didn't want me to do it, at first. Said he wouldn't force me to live though that, and suggested that he drop the idea entirely. We had quite an argument about it.

[He sighs, closing his eyes for just the briefest moment.]

But we're both doing better with it than we worried we would.

[He does worry about Royce's guilt sometimes - worried that it's there, even if he's not voicing it. But he doesn't want to be the one to bring it up, if it's not bothering Royce enough for the effect to be obvious. If he really is dealing with it well, and healthily, harping on it would be a bad thing, right?]