He looked so vulnerable and fallible, his shoulders slumped, his head down, that Carol's impulses overrode the decision she'd taken only minutes before to play it cool. She stepped forward and pulled Tony into a tight hug. 'If anyone can do it, you can,' she whispered against his chin like a cat marking its territory.
In the book "The Mermaids Singing" by Val McDermid, a moment of emotional vulnerability arises when the character Tony displays signs of distress. His posture is slumped, and he appears both fragile and human, leading Carol to feel a strong urge to comfort him despite her earlier decision to maintain her distance. The sight of Tony in such a state triggers her protective instincts.
Carol acts on her impulses, stepping in...