“You might have a point,” I acquiesce, slipping the leather strap of my satchel over my tense shoulder. I need to relax. My body is as stiff as drying cement, unsure of what comes next. Do we pick up where we left off? Start over? Erase everything I’ve learned about Henry up to this point? My face falls into a frown at the thought of forgetting what I’ve discovered about him. I hate the idea. “But this is only a fun get together. He’s not attracted to me like that.”

Except for when he said he wondered if I’d be able to wrap my legs around his waist and wanted to know what I tasted like. I also didn’t miss the way his eyes watched me devour the muffin at the coffee shop the other morning, gaze lingering on my mouth, molten lava staring back at me. An unsolicited shudder courses through my body and I swallow, the sweater around my body becoming constricting.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself. What are you two doing tonight?”

“An escape room and baking cookies at his apartment.”

“Sounds awfully like a date.”

“It’s not a date,” I groan. “It’s an opportunity for us to figure out how the hell we’re going to navigate this.”

“Mhm. I see. So you’re doing a pre-date with a client before the main event. Is that part of your package?”

She knows the answer, and somehow voicing no, Henry is the first, and I’m doing this because I want to, makes everything more… real.

“I should get going. We’re meeting up soon.”

“Can you at least promise me you’ll try to have fun? Forget it’s Henry. Forget you’re two people competing against each other for one job. Let yourself have an enjoyable night out, okay?”

I sigh. “Fine. I promise.”

“Good. Send me your location so if I don’t hear from you by the end of the night, I know where to send the cops!”

* * *

The escape room is the most fun I’ve had in months. Henry and I are partnered up with another young couple. At first, it was tricky working with people we didn’t know. Once we found the first clue, letters written on the wall in invisible ink, the awkwardness dissolved and we ended up having a great time.

“It was so great to meet you,” Annabelle, part of the pair we worked with, says as we stand on the sidewalk outside, celebrating our success. “We moved to the city a few months ago for Derek’s job, and it’s been a struggle to meet new people and find friends our age. We were reluctant to come out tonight, but I’m so glad we did!”