He retrieved the cable but made no move to leave.
The air between them hummed – charged in a way that had nothing to do with electronics.
‘Couldn’t sleep either?’ he asked.
She shook her head and tapped her temple. ‘Too much noise in here.’
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Same.’
Their eyes held. The quiet wasn’t awkward – it was full. As if something hovered between them, waiting to be acknowledged.
He nodded toward the pinball machine. ‘Is The Wish Master keeping you company?’
She glanced at it. ‘Something like that.’
‘Looks asleep.’
‘You’d be surprised,’ she murmured.
He wasn’t entirely sure what that meant, but before he could ask, the moment shifted. He felt it – that tipping point where you either speak or spend weeks regretting not doing so.
‘Beth,’ he said, heart thudding, ‘can I say something without it sounding weird?’
‘That depends how weird.’
He let out a breath. ‘I keep thinking about you. All the time. I don’t want to complicate things. I know you’ve had a lot to deal with. But pretending I don’t care isn’t working.’
She blinked, clearly not expecting that.
He forced himself not to look away. ‘I just needed you to know.’
She stepped closer. Not dramatically, just enough that he felt the warmth of her.
‘You don’t have to apologise for caring,’ she said quietly. Then she hesitated. ‘But there’s something you need to know before this goes any further.’
‘OK.’
She held his gaze. No flinching.
‘I can’t have children.’
The words landed softly but heavily.
He hadn’t expected that. Not specifically. But the steadiness in her voice told him how much it had cost her to say it.
He took a second. Not because he was shocked, but because he wanted to answer properly.
‘Thank you for telling me.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘That’s it?’
‘What were you expecting?’
‘I don’t know. Shock. Disappointment.’
He searched himself honestly. Yes, maybe he’d imagined a house full of noise, Lego underfoot, school runs and chaos. But right now, standing here with her, that future felt theoretical. Distant. Beth did not.
‘You think that changes how I feel about you?’ he asked gently.
