"What could be done?" He said. "You know what Lasha is like. She's as stubborn as an ox being pushed from the side. There was no way I could move her."
"I could not say what you said, but I can definitely say that you didn't try as hard as you ought to have, did you?" Nila said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "It's written on your face, with that stupid smile you get when everything goes exactly as you intended it to. What, did you think you were clever, playing hard to get?"
"Not at all," Oliver said.
"But you do think you were clever, for never having your hopes voiced, but having them achieved in the end, eh?" Nila said, her arms folded, as she pouted. "So you feel quite content to dance around the issue with other people, and have them speak when they are ready to, but with me, it was fine enough to embarrass me in front of everyone that we knew?"
"You did not seem particularly embarrassed," Oliver noted.
