"May I come in?" Gustav asked, and Adela found herself stepping aside to let him into the room.
He walked past her, and she considered being a coward and sprinting out the door. But she was not a coward, and she would never live that down if she did. She filled her lungs to full capacity and then slowly let the air out. Her shoulders rose and fell with the action. Gustav thankfully did not notice, or if he did, he did not care. He waited for her to close the door, and when she did, he turned around to face her.
"Why did you not tell me Klara was giving you trouble?" he asked her.
Why did I not anticipate this conversation? she asked herself, and then thought, Gee, he's not even starting with the polite small talk. Just digging in…
"Was I supposed to?" She considered asking, but instead, she went with, "I did not want to bother you with such trivial stuff."
