Sloane shrugs out of her coat, draping it over the back of the chair, and something about the way she exhales feels different than before. Less managed. Less contained.
“This place is dangerous,” she says, glancing around. “It tricks you into thinking you can stay.”
“That’s how they get you,” I say. “Dessert helps.”
She smiles at that, settling into the chair across from me. Not angled away. Not closed off. Just… there.
A server appears, asks about drinks. She orders coffee without hesitation. I go with an old fashioned, then add, “And we’ll do the chocolate fudge cake, too.”
"Good choice. I'll be right back with that."
“Coffee late at night?” I ask once the server’s gone.
She shrugs. “Yup. Coffee surprisingly doesn’t keep me up. And, my brain doesn’t shut off easily no matter what I eat or drink. ”
“Same,” I say. “Mine just switches subjects.”
She laughs softly. “That sounds exhausting.”
“It is,” I admit. “But it’s familiar.”
The fudge cake arrives faster than expected, a generous square set between us like a shared secret, the server placing two forks down like he knows exactly what’s about to happen. It’s rich, dark, and unapologetic. She stares at it for a second, then looks up at me.
“This is absolutely not a ‘just one bite’ situation,” she says.
“I tried to warn you.”
She cuts a small piece, takes a bite, then closes her eyes.
“Oh no,” she says. “This is excellent.”
I smile. “You sound betrayed.”
“I feel betrayed,” she says. “By every other dessert I’ve ever eaten.”
We share the plate without talking for a minute. No rush to fill the space. No need to.
She leans back, studying me now, like she’s debating something.
“So,” she says. “You were very calm up there.”
“On stage?”
“Mm-hmm. Most people would’ve leaned into it. Played it up.”
“I don’t love performing unless I know the rules,” I say.
“And this didn’t have rules?”
“It had expectations,” I correct. “Not the same thing.”
She nods slowly, like that lands.
“That’s why I picked you,” she says, then stops, eyes looking up to mine. “I mean…”
I don’t interrupt. Don’t rescue her from it.
She clears her throat. “You weren’t trying to win.”
