I was holding the apartment key when Tessa asked me if I had decided whether to sign the lease.
She'd come to Miles's place for dinner, invited by him before I knew she would be there. When I arrived, she was on the couch with her dog, and the key sat in my palm from the building tour that afternoon.
"I haven't decided," I said.
Tessa gave the dog a scratch behind one ear. "That's a lot of pressure to put on Miles."
I turned the key over. "I'm not putting anything on him. I'm deciding what I want."
"I'm sure."
Miles came in from the kitchen carrying a bowl of salad. "Can we keep this easy tonight?"
"No one's making it difficult," Tessa said.
I put the key on the table. "I'm going to leave it here."
Miles looked at it. "You can keep it."
"I don't want to decide tonight."
Tessa pi
