Ayla’s POV
I pulled out my phone and typed quickly: "No, I'm okay with standing."
He read it and let out a long breath, his eyes closing for a moment like he was gathering strength. "Okay. Okay, fine. But I can't.. I don’t think I have the strength to do that so I will need to sit down for this."
He moved past me, his hand trailing along my hip as he went, and dropped onto the couch. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. I could see him trying very hard to focus on anything but me.
"Right," he said, his voice slightly strained. "So. The school. I had a meeting with the head of the department a while back. She called me in to discuss... well, to discuss us and"
I stayed where I was, watching him. His eyes kept wanting to wander but he forced them to stay on hi
