Exception

Chapter 12

After a moment of silence, the air in the office felt heavier between them. Engfa leaned back on the couch, holding her side where Charlotte had just finished cleaning her wound. She looked at Charlotte, her eyes softer now, but there was something different in them—something that made Charlotte feel nervous.

"Charlotte..." Engfa started, her voice low, almost like she was unsure of what to say.

Charlotte looked at her, noticing how serious she seemed. "Yeah?"

Engfa let out a quiet breath, running her hand through her hair like she was trying to figure out what to say. She winced a little from the pain, but it didn't stop her from continuing. "Have you ever thought about..."

She paused, glancing at Charlotte before looking away, like she was trying to gather the courage to finish her sentence. Charlotte felt her heart beating faster, waiting for her to finish.

"I mean, would you... ever want to be courted?" Engfa finally asked.

Charlotte blinked, confused for a moment. "Courted? Like... seriously?"

Engfa nodded, still not looking at her. "Yeah, like, if someone really liked you and wanted to show you how much you mean to them."

Charlotte's heart started racing. Was Engfa talking about *her*? The whole situation was making her feel nervous and excited at the same time. She didn't know how to respond. Why was Engfa asking this now? Especially after everything that had just happened?

"I... I don't know," Charlotte admitted, feeling her cheeks heat up. She didn't know how to handle this sudden conversation. "I've never really thought about it like that."

Engfa smiled a little, but Charlotte could tell there was something else behind it—like she was nervous too. "Well, maybe it's something you should think about."

Charlotte's mind was spinning now. "Why? What are you trying to say?"

Engfa hesitated again, but this time, she looked straight at Charlotte. Her eyes were serious, and Charlotte could feel the weight of what she was about to say. "I'm saying... I want to be the one to court you. For real. No more mixed signals or guessing how we feel."

Charlotte felt like she couldn't breathe for a second. Was Engfa *really* saying that? That she wanted to date her seriously? It felt like everything around them had changed in that moment, and Charlotte didn't know what to say.

"You... want to court me?" Charlotte whispered, still trying to process it all.

Engfa nodded, her face soft but determined. "Yeah. I don't want you to be confused anymore. I care about you a lot, and I want to show you that I'm serious about us. But I also want to know if that's something you want too."

Charlotte's heart pounded even harder, and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She cared about Engfa—she knew that—but everything was happening so fast, and she hadn't even thought about it in this way before. She liked spending time with her, but was she ready for something more?

"I... I don't know," Charlotte said honestly, her eyes dropping to the floor. She felt her face burn with embarrassment because she didn't know the answer. "This is all kind of sudden."

Engfa nodded slowly, and Charlotte could see her smile fade a little, but she didn't look upset. "I get that. I didn't mean to surprise you with this. I've been thinking about it for a while, and I just wanted to be honest with you."

Charlotte looked back at her, feeling the seriousness of Engfa's words hit her hard. She could see how much this meant to her, how much Engfa cared. But it was so confusing. Part of her wanted to say yes, but the other part of her didn't know what to do or how to feel.

"I need time to think about it," Charlotte finally said, her voice quiet. It wasn't that she didn't like Engfa. She just wasn't sure if she was ready for everything to change between them.

Engfa's face softened, and she nodded. "Of course. Take as much time as you need. I just wanted you to know where I stand."

Charlotte nodded too, though her thoughts were a mess. She stood up, feeling like she needed to leave the room to clear her head. "I should go. You need to rest, especially with all these injuries."

Engfa smiled faintly and stood up as well. She walked Charlotte to the door, pausing for a moment before speaking again. "I'll be here when you're ready," she said softly.

Charlotte nodded, trying to smile back, but her heart was still racing as she stepped out of the office. Her mind was spinning with everything that had just happened. She had no idea Engfa felt this strongly. It was both exciting and terrifying.

As she walked down the hallway, she couldn't stop thinking about Engfa's words. "I want to court you." The words echoed in her mind over and over, making her feel even more confused. She had never thought about it before, but now she couldn't ignore the possibility. What if she did like Engfa that way? What if she *wanted* to say yes?

Inside the office, Engfa stood still for a while, staring at the closed door after Charlotte left. She let out a deep sigh, her chest feeling heavy. She had said it. She had finally told Charlotte how she felt. But now, all she could do was wait.

Engfa walked back to her desk, sinking into her chair with a mix of emotions swirling around inside her. She had laid everything out there—her feelings, her hopes for them—but Charlotte hadn't said yes. She hadn't said no either, but the uncertainty was hard for Engfa to handle.

"What if she doesn't want me like that?" Engfa muttered to herself, her frustration building. She wasn't used to feeling unsure of herself. Normally, she was confident, but with Charlotte, things were different. Charlotte wasn't just some crush. She meant so much more to Engfa, and that scared her.

Pacing back and forth, Engfa kept thinking about what she could've done differently. "Did I push too hard? Should I have waited?" she wondered, her chest tightening. It wasn't like her to question herself, but now she couldn't stop.

She glanced at the mirror on the wall, catching sight of the wound on her side. The pain in her body wasn't nearly as bad as the worry swirling in her mind. "What if she never feels the same?" she whispered, pressing her forehead against the window and staring out at the city below. The thought of losing Charlotte, of her deciding they weren't meant to be, hurt more than anything.

"I have to give her space," Engfa told herself, trying to stay calm. But the uncertainty gnawed at her. "What if I'm not enough?"

As she stood there, feeling more vulnerable than she had in a long time, Engfa realized just how much Charlotte meant to her. And that scared her. More than anything, the idea of not being with Charlotte, of not having her by her side, felt unbearable.

"I've never been this unsure," Engfa muttered, closing her eyes. All she could do now was wait and hope that when Charlotte figured out her feelings, they would end up together. But for now, all Engfa could feel was the heavy silence in the room and the questions that kept playing over and over in her mind.