Ben watched her face as she responded, meeting her eyes. He supposed he was willing himself to see beyond her answer, right through to whatever she was thinking. It didn’t work. The words she’d given him were all he had to go on — and while the implication was certainly clear, Ben wasn’t sure it was enough to make him feel good about this whole situation.

He sighed. “I just — I have to be sure,” he said, still meeting her eyes. “I don’t want this to be something you regret. I don’t want me to be something you regret — any more than you already do, anyway,” he added with a frown.