"Oh," I say, freezing in place when I see Alex

Alex looks up from the coffeemaker. His eyes dart from me to the suitcase beside me, and he frowns.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"I thought..." God, a moment ago I was ready to charge out of here. Why am I faltering now? "I thought I might go stay in a hotel."

He gives a sharp shake of his head. "Nonsense. You don't need to do that."

"I really think it's for the best. I didn't ...