Kieran stared at the small coffee cup in front of him, tracing the rim absentmindedly with his finger. He had been thinking about this for the better part of the morning. Asking Clara to spend time with him outside of their usual café meetups had been on his mind for weeks, but the thought of doing it wrong, of saying something that could ruin the rhythm they’d been building, held him back.
It wasn’t a date, at least not officially. Not like that. He wanted it to be casual, easy, friendly. A chance to just talk, laugh, and walk around without the usual sketches, notebooks, and small responsibilities that followed Clara around. But even framing it as “friendly” felt like walking on a tightrope.
He glanced at the door as it opened, and there she was—Clara, carrying her bag with the same qu
