For a long moment, the question just hung in the air, soft, hesitant and too unexpected to feel real.
Evelyn blinked, unsure if she had heard him right. "Dinner?"
Alexander's fingers flexed against the steering wheel. "Only if you want to," he said quickly. "I just thought, maybe it would be nice. No pressure."
His tone was calm but she caught the faint edge of nervousness beneath it, something she had never heard from him before.
"I—" Evelyn started then stopped. The words were tangled somewhere between surprise and the faint warmth spreading through her chest. "I will think about it."
Alexander nodded once with his jaw tightening slightly. "Of course." He tried to sound indifferent but the quickness with which he looked away betrayed him.
Evelyn reached for the handle, hesitating. "Drive Safe, Alexander."
He met her gaze briefly and a faint, polite smile tugged at his lips. "I will, Evelyn."
