Kat: "Alive.Barely.I should not have drunk that much.I blame you."
I smile.
Me: "You wanted the wine."
Me: "I just provided… reasons to drink it."
There's a pause long enough that I wonder if I've crossed the line again.
Then:
Kat: "About last night."
I wait.The message is still typing.
Kat: "I know you meant it.I was just… drunk.Tired.And scared I wouldn't say no."
I exhale, shifting my weight in the seat.Outside, the peaks look like something out of a postcard.Unreal.Clean.Unlike whatever this is between us — tangled, messy, and far too real.
Me: "I was drunk too.Too blunt, maybe.But I meant what I said."
Me: "And I still think you're overcomplicating it."
Another pause.
Kat: "That's my brand, isn't it?"
Me: "It doesn't have to be."
Me: "I like you better when you let go a little."
This time, the pause is longer.
Kat: "Let's just keep things clear for now.I'll see you in Crans."
Clear.
Right.
The van rattles a bit as we hit a stretch of icy road.I glance at Niko, who's got a phone in one hand and the other is nursing a bottle of Coke like it's medicine.He glances at me.
"You gonna sulk all the way to Switzerland?"
I shrug."Not sulking.Just… thinking."
"About last night?"he smirks.
"You know?"
"I knowyou," he says."And I got to know her.And I know that if you two don't figure it out soon, the rest of us are going to suffer from secondhand tension poisoning."
"Very funny."
He chuckles."Hey, at least you were honest."
"Too honest."
"Still."Niko shrugs."She didn't walk away."
