“Are you worried about me now?” he asked again, his voice dropping lower, carrying a hint of challenge. That was the moment I snapped back to reality—right, I was standing right in front of him.

“I’m just saying… You didn’t actually wait for me, right?” I tried to sweep away the tension building between us.

“What if I tell you that I did wait for you?”

Was he serious?

I stared straight at him, trying to read whether he was being playful. But he just held my gaze, steady, ...