Thank Merlin, a tone of voice without teasing. Gemma was not so used to being on the other side of teasing, though it was always in good fun, she rather thought this deserved a little seriousness!

"That's what I'm afraid of." It was a perfectly good platonic friendship. Gemma wasn't so out of touch with reality that the notion had escaped her, but damn if she didn't want everything to stay just as it was; perfectly platonic. She did like Alfie, of course she did, but she really wasn't sure she liked him like that. And now there was some crazy pressure on her to figure it out!

Gemma pulled a frown. Lead to something? What could it lead to? Disaster. That's what. And likely some heartbreak if he really did have feelings for her. "I don't want to ruin our friendship." She valued it too much to take the risk. Besides it really couldn't go anyway, not really. They were too close in age, different classes, not that it mattered to her, not one bit, but it would certainly matter to her father. He'd already had one heart attack, she refused to give him another! She was already on borrowed time thanks to her apprenticeship, after she was fully on her own, she didn't doubt her father would make her downgrade it to a hobby and start looking to get married.