Gary took a breath and let the smile drop.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I do that. Make jokes when things get uncomfortable.”

She smiled gently. “Most people do.”

“Yeah,” Gary said. “I just… do it louder.”

She laughed softly. “Fair.”

The tension eased again, settling into something more manageable. Gary shifted in his chair, finding a position that didn’t make his jaw scream, and felt oddly grateful she’d called him out without making him feel stupid.

“You’re not wrong, though,” he said. “It does need sorting.”

She nodded. “Sooner rather than later.”

Gary hesitated. “Hypothetically… if someone were putting it off because they were scared, not stupid—”

“Still stupid,” she said kindly. “But understandable.”

Gary smiled. “I’ll take that.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the pub ebb and flow around them. Gary felt lighter. Not healed. But… steadier.

This felt like the turning point. The moment where something either began properly—or ended politely.

She glanced at him. “Are you hungry?”

The question caught him off guard.

“Uh,” Gary said. “Yes. But also terrified of chewing.”

She grinned. “We could work around that.”

Gary’s heart skipped.

Agree to keep the night going → Page 46

Hesitate and retreat emotionally → Page 35