He stayed quiet for a beat, unsure of how to respond. An affirmation would mean he had been thinking about her a lot, enough to want to plan a date.
But denial would mean a whole range of unsavory things and in his experience with certain women, he would not be able to hear the last of it. So instead, he opted for the truth as well as he could muster.
"I… er, I realized the tickets were in my drawer and I know I have been driving you really hard for the last few weeks, so I believed it would be a great idea to treat you to a break," he answered as honestly as he could.
"Besides, I needed one myself, and being up here alone might have been a lot less enjoyable. In fact, I might have come off as a little lonely, don't you think?" He did not wait for her to respond but went on.
"Just think of it as you doing me a favor, really. And if that's not okay, I'll do you one even better. You can think of it as an extended office assignment."
