Barging in

Although Carmen had slammed the door shut, you notice there was no click after that to indicate that she had locked the door. You reach for the door handle and test it, quickly confirming your suspicion that Carmen hadn't locked the door in her haste. You pause, giving her a few seconds to get to the coat you had seen in her office earlier, and then you open the door and step into her office just in time to see her throwing on the coat with her back to you. Carmen visibly jumps, surprised by your entry into her office, as she pulls the coat together and turns around.

Her eyes are wide as she looks at you, wondering if you had seen her ninja outfit before she managed to cover it up, and you smile. You let her sweat for a couple of seconds before you turn and point at one of the cabinets in her office. "Oh look, you have something to drink here! You know what? Let's not go outside into the cold then and stay here instead. Just 1 drink. I've got an early meeting in the morning anyway," you say. You don't wait for her to answer as you walk over to the couch in her office and sit down.

"Uh, sure... Okay, 1 drink," Carmen says, fastening the front of her coat with the belt and going over to the liquor cabinet where she withdraws a bottle of whiskey and 2 glasses. She's barefoot and you can see her shoes by the side of her desk, likely because she had been changing and was not expecting any company at this hour. She proceeds to get some ice cubes from a mini fridge inside the cabinet and pours out 2 drinks, then walks over to the couch where you are. The glass she hands you has substantially more whiskey than the 1 she hangs on to. You wonder what's going on in her mind as she sits down at the other end of the couch that can seat 3 people, leaving a gap between you 2.

"Cheers!" you say, holding your glass out. Carmen politely raises her glass to meet yours with a clink. It's a nice start, but after that, it gets a little awkward as you both sit there in silence sipping whiskey. Carmen looks uncomfortable as she glances around her office, while you keep your eyes on her. When she eventually looks back at you, you shift closer to her on the couch.

"It's warm in here," you say, pointing to her coat. "You must be sweating underneath. Why don't you take the coat off?"

Carmen stiffens at the suggestion. "Oh, it's okay. I have to go soon anyway. I'm sorry, I can't be a good host in my father's absence. Gosh, look at the time," she says, although she's not wearing a watch or even looking at a clock, "I really should be going. You know what, stay as long as you want and finish your drink." Then, Carmen sets her drink aside on the coffee table in front of the couch and starts to get up. You quickly set your drink down too and grab Carmen by the wrist.

"No, please stay," you say.

Carmen's expression changes as she looks at your hand on her wrist. "Let go," she says coldly.