She leans back.
“And did you want him to?”
A humourless laugh slips out.
“That would have been completely impractical.”
“Philip.”
“What?”
“I asked if you wanted him to. Not whether your calendar approved.”
My eyes lift to hers, then drop again.
“Yes,” I say.
Quiet enough that it almost disappears.
But Sophie hears it.
Of course she does.
“Then why did you leave?”
My focus drops to the tea between my hands.
Because I’m moving on Wednesday.
Because my life is packed into boxes.
Because I know how to make sensible choices.
Because wanting something after two days is absurd.
Because if I stayed, I might have had to admit the safe life I chose suddenly felt very small.
“Because staying felt more dangerous,” I say.
Sophie nods slowly.
“Dangerous because of him?”
I shake my head.
“No.”
“Then because of you?”
That hits clean.
My head comes up.
She gives me a sad little smile.
“That’s usually the one.”
I don’t know what to say to that.
