The question left my mouth before my brain even approved it.
"Do you… like me?"
The second those words escaped, Leo froze.
Completely.
As if the air around us turned into glass and he couldn't move without breaking something.
His breath halted. His shoulders tensed.
A vein surfaced sharply at his temple, pulsing.
For a moment, he didn't even blink.
I swallowed hard.
Why did I say that?
Why did I ask that?
WHAT WAS WRONG WITH ME TONIGHT?
His eyes slowly lifted to mine.
"Don't," Leo said finally, voice low, almost cracked.
"Don't ask that."
My chest tightened.
I didn't even know what answer I wanted.
"Why not?" my voice trembled. "It's just a question."
"It's not that simple."
Leo snapped faster than lightning, the tension in his voice cutting the air between us.
I stepped back, but the wall was already behind me.
Leo noticed. His jaw clenched harder.
"Valerie," he continued, quieter now, "you don't want the answer."
That made my stomach drop.
