This was exposure.
Chloe’s confidence cracked just enough to notice. “You’re mistaken.”
“I’m not,” Maya said evenly. “Would you like separate checks?”
That was it.
“Yes,” I said.
Chloe’s composure slipped. She started digging through her purse, her movements sharper now.
“You didn’t have to turn this into a scene,” she muttered.
“I didn’t,” I replied. “You did.”
The checks came. I paid mine immediately.
She handed over her card.
Declined.
The shift in her expression was instant. Controlled confidence replaced by quiet panic. She fumbled for another card, forcing a laugh that didn’t land.
The second card worked.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
Whatever image she had tried to build collapsed right there at the table.
She grabbed her things and left without looking at me.
I sat there for a moment, letting it settle.
Maya gave me a small nod. “Don’t let this ruin dating.”
“I won’t,” I said.
Outside, the air felt colder—but clearer.
Instead of going home, I drove to Erin’s place.
She opened the door already smiling. “Well?”
I laughed. “You were right to push me out. But you won’t believe this.”
Ten minutes later, I was in her kitchen, eating ice cream straight from the container, telling her everything.
“She actually tried that?” Erin said, shaking her head.
“Apparently more than once,” I said. “The waitress recognized her.”
Erin leaned back, then looked at me. “You didn’t pay, right?”
“No.”
She smiled. “Good.”
That caught me off guard.
“Why good?”
“Because you didn’t fold,” she said. “You didn’t ignore what was right in front of you.”
I sat with that for a second.
She was right.
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