Snapshot

by Kay Cove

“Can I tell you something?” He locks eyes with me. “Sometimes with Leah…it’s really hard to read her because she so easily misses all the signs. I don’t want to come on too strong. But I’m into her…really fucking into her. So much so, it’s driving me insane.” It feels like salt in the wound but I smile and nod like it’s good news. I step out of his way, and he squeezes my shoulder as he passes. “Why not tell her how you feel?” He spins around and sucks in his lips as he looks at me. Once again, he’s taking his time to calculate his response. I hate how he does that. It makes me feel like our conversation is a game of chess I’m about to lose. He finally answers, a faraway look in his eyes, “It’s simple. She’s a flight risk. And I can’t afford to lose her.”