“And tonight?”
“Wasn’t random.”
I stop pacing.
“No,” I say quietly. “It didn’t feel random.”
He watches me carefully.
“They were testing,” he adds.
“Testing what?”
“You.”
The word lands like a stone dropping straight through my chest.
“Me?”
“Because of me,” he says.
There it is. The thing I was already starting to suspect.
I cross my arms, bracing myself. “Explain.”
“I’ve been… visible,” he says. “Around you. Around the bookstore.”
I raise an eyebrow. “You think?”
“It drew attention.”
“So this is my fault now?”
“No,” he says immediately. “It’s mine.”
The conviction in his voice stops me.
“You didn’t ask for this,” he continues. “You didn’t know. I should have kept my distance.”
Something twists in my chest. Because I remember the argument. The way he pushed me away. This is why.
“You were trying to protect me,” I say slowly.
“Yes.”
“By telling me to leave.”
“Yes.”
I exhale. “You really need to work on your communication skills.”
A faint, reluctant smile tugs at the corner of his mouth.
“Noted.”
Silence settles between us again. But it’s different now. Less tense. More… grounded. Because at least now I understand the stakes. Or I’m starting to.
I lean back against the counter, studying him.
