Her breath caught.
Shit.
Too much.Too honest.Too soon.
I shifted my weight and looked away, pretending to examine the dryer like it was capable of telling me secrets.
She hopped down from the table and landed softly on her feet.“Prime.”
I didn’t look at her.
Not at first.
But Shay wasn’t the kind of person you could ignore, not when she was standing in front of you with that look on her face like she was trying to understand you and herself at the same time.
“Why are you helping me so much?”she asked.“Really?Don’t tell me it’s just your job.I’m not stupid.”
I clenched my jaw.“Didn’t say you were.”
“But you’re acting like there’s more.”She stepped closer.“And I don’t know what to do with that.”
“You don’t have to do anything.”My voice came out rougher than I meant.“I’m doing my job.”
She shook her head.“No.It’s more.You’re… you’re different with me.You’re softer.”
“I’m not soft,” I snapped.
“Soft-adjacent,” she corrected.
Fuck, she was impossible.
“Shay—”
She shut her eyes for a second, exhaled, then opened them again slowly.“Every time I look at you, it’s like you’re… carrying something.Holding something back.And I—”
Her voice shook.
That did it.
I stepped forward and caught her elbow before she could wrap her arms around herself again.
“You don’t need to figure me out right now,” I said.“You already have enough going on in your head.”
“Yes,” she whispered.“But you’re in my head too.”
I froze.
Her eyes widened slightly like she hadn’t meant to say it out loud.She swallowed and whispered, “Sorry.That sounded weird.”
“No,” I said.“Not weird.”I cleared my throat.“Just… unexpected.”
She took in a shaky breath.“Can you stay with me for a little?”
There wasn’t a version of reality where I would’ve said no.
I nodded and leaned back against the washing machine.She stood beside me.Close enough that our arms brushed.
Her breath came out slow.Then slower.
