Thea's requested distance reached Wednesday without either of us breaking its simple conditions. I saw her once across the central courtyard, where she turned toward the sculpture wing before our paths required a greeting. I neither followed nor used the near encounter as permission to restart conversation.
Her decision could have been coincidence, yet interpreting it changed nothing about my responsibility. I continued toward class, carrying the unanswered desire to hear her voice without manufacturing a reason.
At three fifteen, her expected review message entered our quiet direct-message conversation. The notification showed only her name until I finished the source discussion occupying my seminar.
{Thea: I am ready to discuss the study group. Could we meet at the exhibition café at five? Public table.}
{Kofi: Yes. I will be there at five.}
