She stiffened slightly. Just slightly. Enough that I noticed.
“I mean,” I said quickly, “only if you’re free. I just thought it was fun to have someone to laugh a bit with…”
She gave me a tight smile. “It was.”
I hesitated, then reached for my phone. “Want to exchange numbers? Just for planning—”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she interrupted, quiet but clear.
I blinked. “Oh.”
She rubbed her arm, looking a little sheepish now. “It’s not anything you did. I just... I think we should talk. In private.”
That wasn’t ominous at all.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Do you want to walk somewhere?”
“There’s the café. It's only two blocks down."
Were we that close? I nodded.
“Lead the way.”
We walked in silence, which only made my stomach churn harder. Was she going to tell me she didn’t
