"Tell me what's wrong," I urge Alex.
But he just shakes his head. "I'm fine, Mae."
It's clear from the stiff set of his shoulders that he's anything but.
"Where did you go?" I ask him. "Why did you come out here? I was worried."
He runs a hand through his hair. "I just needed to walk. To think."
"About what?"
He shakes his head. "Don't do this, Mae."
"Don't do what? I'm just trying to understand."
"There's nothing to understand," he insists. "I'm fine. But we're both getting soaked out here. Come on, let's go." He starts out into the rain again without pausing to see if I might follow.
"Wait!" I call after him. I catch up with him and grab his arm. "Please, Alex. Please - just tell me what's going on. I want to fix it. I want to make things right between us again." I have to talk
