That made me feel better. I honestly didn’t want anything from him. I wanted to tell him the truth, so he would know, because it was the right thing to do. That was it.
Taking a deep breath, I lifted my gaze to his and met his glare, an action made easier now that my specific aims had been clarified. He seemed to flinch this time as our eyes connected, a subtle wince I might’ve missed if we hadn’t been standing so close.
Abram studied me, and I gave him a polite smile, gathering a breath in preparation for making an excuse to leave.
But then he asked, “What’s in the note?”
“Uh . . .” My eyes moved up and to the right as I recalled the note’s contents. “I asked—it’s very short. I request a time to meet, if you have the time and inclination.”
“You want to meet with me?”
“Y—yes.”
“Why?”
“To talk to you,” I answered honestly, meeting his gaze with equal frankness.
“What about?”
“An important matter,” I quoted the note. Since we were standing in a hall with many bedrooms attached to it, I didn’t think he’d want me to go into details here.
He lifted the eyebrow again, his lips twisting. “What’s wrong with now?”
I swallowed reflexively, startled by the suggestion. “Now?”
“Yeah. Now.”
“Okay. Sure. If you follow me, there’s a study on the second floor we can use, and—”
He stepped closer, very close, necessitating that I take a step back if I didn’t want him to bump into me. For the record, I had mixed feelings about being bumped into by Abram, and with mixed feelings, erring on the side of caution was always prudent.
He reached around my right side and apparently turned the knob, opening the door to his room. “Let’s do it here.”
“Here?” I squeaked.
“Yes,” he said, staring down at me, taking more steps forward. Like before, I stepped back to avoid coming in contact with his advancing form, which had a by-product of carrying us both into his bedroom.
Once we were fully inside, he shut the door behind him without turning, his eyes never leaving mine. And then we stood like that, looking at each other, in his room with the door closed, for several seconds.