Another pause.
Ruby:
It does for me.
I sit down again, letting my frustration bleed into focus.
This is fear talking, not truth, not desire. I know it’s not what she wants.
It’s the fear of judgment, the fear of gossip, and the fear of someone thinking she slept her way into an opportunity she earned.
I understand that. I respect that, but I also know this isn’t something she can smother or run from.
I refuse to let her.
I type again:
Me:
Then let me make it simple.
Her reply comes instantly.
Ruby:
Don’t.
I stop.
She thinks I’m going to make a declaration big enough to break her walls.
Not tonight.
Me:
Meet me for coffee tomorrow.
Public place.
Neutral ground.
No pressure.
Just two people talking.
Her typing bubble appears.
Disappears.
Returns.
Ruby:
I don’t know.
Me:
You do.
