rejection is her pity. “Let’s not get into this again, okay?” I hold up my hand to cut her off. “I got the message the first time.” She opens her mouth to respond and then closes it again, her lips pressing into a thin line. Silence floods the hall, neither of us speaking. Thoughts and emotions war in my brain, a brutal battle with no clear winner. There are so many things I’d like to say; things I wish I could say, but I don’t know if she wants to hear. Finally, she nods. “Okay.”
