Page 75 of How To Tackle A Crush
“That sounds vague.”
“It isn’t.” I'm not quite sure how to explain it.
“At the press conference,” I say. “You didn’t sound like the others.”
“I didn’t know what I was supposed to sound like.”
“That helped.”
She frowns slightly. “How?”
“You weren’t performing,” I say. “You weren’t trying to trip me up. You just asked what you were actually curious about.”
“I was terrified,” she admits.
“I know.”
That surprises her.
“You know?”
“You held your notebook too tight,” I say. “And you took four deep breaths before you spoke.”
Her ears turn pink.
“That sounds like a very detailed observation.”
“I notice things too.”
She is quiet for a few seconds. Then she asks it quickly, like she might lose the nerve otherwise.
“So you were… intrigued?”
I nod. No point pretending otherwise.
“Yeah.”
She traces the rim of her coffee cup with one finger, thinking.
“And you asked for me because you were curious?”
“Because I wanted to spend a bit more time with you,” I admit. “And that was the only way I could think of that wouldn’t put you on the spot.”
Her eyebrows lift slightly.
“You could have just asked me for a coffee.”
I meet her eyes. “Would you have said yes?”
She opens her mouth.
Stops.
Then laughs quietly.
“Probably not.”
“Exactly.”
