"You're humoring me."
"Little bit."
She stood there for a long moment, portfolio clutched like a shield, looking at me like she couldn't decide whether to kiss me again or throw something at my head. The drain still pulsed between us, a low hum of connection that neither of us could ignore.
"Wednesday," she said finally.
"What about it?"
"I have a free period after lunch. Conference room 3-A is empty until four."
I raised an eyebrow. "I thought this was a one-time thing."
"It was." She smoothed her skirt, not meeting my eyes. "This would be a different time. Entirely separate incident."
"Ah. Loopholes."
"I'm a Stark. We're good at finding them."
She left without looking back, but I caught the way her hand trembled on the door handle. The way she paused for half a second before pushing through. The way her Essentia reached back toward mine even as she walked away, like it didn't want to let go.
I sat in the conference chair for another five minutes, processing.
