ALEX

I blinked, tension stealing through my body. I didn’t have to leave?

Were my ears playing tricks on me? If so, then that would be an unbearably cruel thing to happen to me right now.

I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, unmoving like a statue, but it was enough for Laura to curse and shove her hands into the back pockets of her pants. She looked up at me, looked away, then shifted her weight from one foot onto the other. 

She obviously wanted to say something but was hesitating. I could have just saved her the stress and told her that I didn’t really want to...