"Not tonight," she says finally.
The phrase is soft, but firm.
My chest barely contracts.
"I don't want to decide anything in the middle of this."
I nod.
She is right.
"Then don't decide," I reply. "Just don't close the door."
Her eyes soften. And for the first time in the night, I see something clear.
Not indifference, conflict.
Alexander places his hand on her back again. Natural and present.
"I'll call you tomorrow," he says, quietly, referring to something they'd clearly talked about before.
Clara nods.
I take a step back.
I'm not going to do a scene, I'm not going to force anything. But I'm not going to disappear either.
As I watch them leave the room together, I understand that this long night didn't solve anything.
It only made visible what was underneath.
Alexander
