Maria: For a second, we just stand there. It feels like one of those moments that stretches longer than it should. Not because anything is happening, but because too much already has. He looks at me, and I know. I don’t need him to ask. He knows I heard. I open my mouth, close it, then try again. “I wasn’t trying to listen,” I say, and even to me it sounds a little useless. “I just… didn’t leave when I should have.” It’s not a clean apology. It’s the truth, just not a very flattering version of it. He studies me for a moment, then says, “You were going to find out eventually.” There’s no edge to it. No irritation. That almost makes it worse. I would have preferred if he was annoyed. It would have been easier to respond to. I nod anyway, because there’s nothing else to do with that. The hallway suddenly feels too tight, like we’re both taking up space we don’t know how to move around. “Come with me,” he says. He turns before I answer, and I follow without thinking too much
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