"Mac." Rachel's smile was gentle but firm. "I should go."
"Right. Yes. Of course." Mac stood uptoo quickly, nearly knocking over his empty mug. "Can I walk you to your car? Or wherever you're parked? I mean, if you drove. You might have walked. That's also fine. I could walk you home? Not in a creepy way, just—"
"Mac." Rachel was definitely fighting a smile now. "You can walk me to my car."
They paid, Mac insisted on covering both despite Rachel's protests that they should split it, and walked out into the late March afternoon. The sun was starting to lower in the sky, casting everything in golden light.
Rachel's car was parked just down the street. They walked slowly, neither quite ready for this to end.
"This was really nice," Mac said as they stopped beside her car. "Like, really, really nice. I know I probably said that already but—"
"You did. But it's okay." Rachel glanced at him sideways. "It was nice."
Mac took a breath, trying to calm his racing heart. This was it. The moment that would determine everything.
"So does that mean—I mean, would you want to—" Mac forced himself to just say it. "Can I see you again? Soon?"
Rachel was quiet. Mac's heart hammered against his ribs. Say yes, say yes, say yes—
"I don't know," Rachel said finally.
Mac's belly swooped. "Oh. Okay. That's—"
"It's not that I didn't have a good time," Rachel said quickly. "I did. You're very sweet, Mac. It's just..."
"Just?"
"This is a lot." She said it gently, but it still stung. "And I'm not ready for a lot. I need time to think about this."
"How much time?"
"I don't know." Rachel looked down at her keys, gripping them tightly. "Mac, I moved here to get away from everything. To start over. And dating again, especially someone like you—"
"Someone like me?"
"Someone who is real. Someone who clearly feels things very deeply and isn't afraid to show it." She looked down at her keys. "That's terrifying for me. You're terrifying."
"I don't want to be terrifying."
"I know. That's part of the problem." Rachel met his eyes. "You're… the kind of person I swore I'd never let myself get close to again."
"Because of what happened before?" Mac ventured. "With the guy who—"
"Yes..." Rachel's voice was firm, closing that door.
Mac nodded slowly, processing. He could push. He could argue. He could try to convince her.
Or he could just… be honest.
"Okay," Mac said quietly. "I hear you." He shoved his hands in his pockets, jaw tight. "Whoever hurt you before. I can see what it did. How careful you are now." His voice dropped. "But Rachel? I'm not that guy. And I'd really like the chance to prove it."
Rachel's eyes glistened slightly. "Mac—"
"And I think you know that too. Otherwise you wouldn't have stayed for three hours." Mac managed a small smile. "So here's what I'm thinking. What if we don't make this a big thing? What if we just… see each other again? Low pressure. No expectations. Just two people hanging out."
"Mac, I said I needed time—"
"I know. And I'll give you all the time you need." Mac took a breath, then decided to risk it. "But what if, while you're thinking, you let me show you who I actually am? One more date. That's all I'm asking. And if after that you still think I'm too much or too scary or too whatever, then I'll back off. I promise."
