Lucas looked genuinely surprised.
“But it’s a crowded train!”
“Yes,” I said. “It is. That’s why I’ve been trying to give you room. You just haven’t been doing the same for me.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it.
Curtis asked for his ticket so he could record the relevant details.
Lucas handed it over reluctantly.
Then he looked at me.
“Come on. I’ve apologized. Tell him we’re fine.”
I shook my head.
“We’re not fine.”
His expression changed.
“You’re really going to do this?”
“I asked you nicely several times. You laughed at me. Curtis warned you, and you started again. What exactly did you expect me to do?”
Lucas lowered his voice.
“Please don’t make this worse than it needs to be.”
I felt that familiar pull in my chest.
The uncomfortable silence. The watching passengers. The feeling that perhaps I should give in simply to make everything end.
