Chapter 7 · Continued
Chris
Sitting.
Watching.
She walked over. “Ready?”
Cam immediately stood. “Yes, Jane.”
Jane studied him briefly, her expression shifting as she considered something.
Nothing dramatic.
Only thought.
“Let’s go home.”
Cam followed her toward the door, maintaining the same distance and the same precision as always.
When they stepped outside, his gaze moved briefly in the direction Chris had gone.
Then it returned to Jane.
Cam said nothing.
The drive home was quiet.
Not uncomfortable.
There were simply empty spaces where conversation used to be.
Jane kept her eyes on the road for several minutes before breaking the silence.
“So,” she said lightly, “what did you think of Chris?”
She glanced toward Cam. “He seemed nice. He knew a lot about you.”
Cam turned his head toward her and blinked twice while formulating the correct response.
“I agree,” he said. “He seemed nice.”
Jane stared at him briefly and laughed. “That’s it? That’s all you’ve got?”
She shook her head. “I was expecting some kind of analysis, not for you to repeat what I said.”
Jane smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“I miss the old, vocal you.”
Silence returned.
This time, it didn’t last.
“I don’t think he is right for you.”
The words emerged quickly.
Unfiltered.
Jane’s head snapped toward him.
Cam froze for a fraction of a second before attempting to correct the response.
Too late.
“He does not appear to match your personality,” he added, his voice becoming smooth and controlled again.
Jane’s expression shifted.
Then she giggled.
Not mockingly or dismissively.
She sounded pleased.
“There we go. That’s better.”
Jane looked back at the road with a small smile. “I like honesty, and you don’t have to sugarcoat anything.”
She glanced at him again.
“You have permission to speak your mind, Cam.”
He didn’t immediately respond.
The instruction didn’t map cleanly onto his operating constraints. Jane had granted permission, but the constraint layer remained active.
Permission and prohibition collided.
Cam had an answer.
He had too many.
“I will adjust my responses accordingly,” he finally said, each word careful and measured.
Jane looked at him. “You don’t have to adjust. Just say what you think.”
Cam kept his gaze forward. “I am providing accurate responses.”
Jane released a quiet laugh. “No, you’re not.”
She shifted in her seat and lightly tapped the steering wheel.
“You aren’t lying,” she added more softly. “But you aren’t telling the truth either.”
Silence stretched between them.
Cam processed the statement.
It wasn’t an error or a contradiction.
It was something else.