[ The muscles on her leg twitch a little at his touch, not used to the gentle touches he's bestowing upon her. The sensation is a little weird, but in a pleasant way. ]

It was hard for me, too. I never wanted to close myself off from you, Ben. I just thought... that was what I'd have to do to protect us both.

[ Maybe protect her a little more than him, but she didn't want to be pushing him into doing something he wasn't ready for. She's still a little worried about doing that, because she knows that the choice to finally let things go and heal is his to make. ]