I nod and follow him, weaving through people coming in to head outside onto the street.

We’re at the top of Telegraph Hill. Behind Alex, Coit Tower is lit up like a giant concrete beacon against the stark night sky. A guiding light or a warning?

“I have to tell you something, and I really hope you won’t hate me.”

I swallow. Nothing good could ever follow that statement. I don’t want to know, but at the same time, I have to ask. “What is it?”

He takes a breath, his eyes searching mine for a moment before he speaks. “It’s my fault they moved you from my team. I asked for you to be transferred.”

Harsh blow. I swallow. I knew this, or I guess I assumed. Having it verified is . . . Why is he telling me this?

Is this where he tells me how embarrassing it was when I thought he was going to kiss me? Also, he just likes me as a friend and please stay away from him now? He invited me out here to, what, point out my awkwardness? Hand over a restraining order? Couldn’t he have done this earlier today?

He’s still speaking. I struggle to focus on the words through the rush of blood in my ears.

“It wasn’t because you weren’t doing a great job, you were. And it’s not that I don’t like you, but because I do.”

I open my mouth. Shut it. Open it again. What is he talking about?

“Remember, that day, in the storage room. We were joking about paper and dodgeball?”

After a few seconds, I nod, unable to force words out.

“I backed off not because I didn’t want to kiss you, but because I did.”

The roaring blood in my ears freezes, the world gone silent. Wait. What? My mind scrambles, attempting to make sense of his words. “You . . . made me feel like an idiot because you like me?”

He winces. “I never meant to make you feel bad. I know it sounds horrible, but it wasn’t fair to you. I’m a client, and I didn’t want you to feel obligated, you know? I was basically your boss on the team, which makes it an imbalanced power structure and I really didn’t want to put you in that position. So instead, I did something stupid. I pushed you away, and then I did something selfish and asked for you to be transferred from my team.”

I can’t figure out what he’s saying. I mean, I understand the letters and the meanings of the words, but it’s not computing.

“I don’t understand. You ran away and then had me moved off your team because you like me? But you never said anything. Even after you . . . traded me off.” My voice is rising, anger overpowering the normal nerves.