"You… have feelings for him?" Paula whispered.
Alice's heart stopped. She opened her mouth, ready to deny it immediately, but her body betrayed her. Maybe it was all the exhaustion from today.
Her shoulders sagged, the fight leaving her like air from a punctured tire.
"…Y-Yes." The word escaped in a fragile whisper.
Paula gasped, "Oh God."
Heat rushed to Alice's face, but it wasn't shame. It was panic. Her whole body tensed, her voice rising in broken defense.
"I wouldn't do anything!" she blurted, too fast, too desperate. "Paula... I wouldn't. I swear I wouldn't—"
Her words cracked apart. The heaviness of their day pressed in again, dragging their voices down into something tired, ragged, frayed at the edges.
Paula's eyes stayed fixed on her, shining with a mix of surprise and something Alice couldn't bring herself to name.
