Really don't

Politely as he can manage, Ethan refuses. "I'd rather not..."

Ashley smiles, letting out a small 'heh'. "Playing hard to get?" She inches closer, the couch creaking.

"No," Ethan shakes his head, "I'm not going to show you."

It takes a few seconds for Ethan's words to sink in, Ashley giving him a slack-jawed look. "Oh..." she shuffles back to her spot, the couch creaking again, "I see."

An awkward pause lingers for a moment before Ashley tacks on a "Sorry."

The energy between Ethan and Ashley changes, and both of them are painfully aware of it. Ashley in particular is wearing her discomfort on her sleeve, the rejection she faced hitting her particularly hard. She seems to shrink into herself, or so Ethan observes, suddenly seeming quite small.

Clearing his throat, Ethan isn't sure how to follow up, his brain running on empty. Just as he's about to try to throw out some cookie-cutter topic starter Ashley speaks up.

"I should go."

"Ah, Uh..." Ethan spends a second processing before speaking. "Sorry if I-"

"No, no," Ashley shakes her head. "It's cool, I just need to head out you know?"

Ethan knows and he 'knows'. Even so, all he can do is watch her stand and head towards the door, slipping on her shoes in silence. Some sense of courtesy comes over him, and he moves towards the door to see her off. Once he's close, Ashley gives him a look that she tries to make look reassuring, but can't quite pull it off.

"We'll talk later, yeah?" she offers, the words feeling hollow.

"Yeah for sure."

Ethan shows her out and watches her leave, pretty sure that while they'll talk again, it won't be amorous. Sighing, he closes the door.