It was the perfect moment to lean back, exhale, and enjoy the ride. Instead, Daniel sat there, stiff as a board, waiting for the next strike. He didn’t have to wait long. Kick. Kick. Thud. This one rattled his coffee cup on the tray table. He ran a hand down his face.
The worst part was how passive it all felt. He wasn’t a confrontational person. He never had been. Daniel believed in courtesy. Boundaries. Talking things out. But now he found himself trapped in a situation where his comfort depended entirely on the behavior of a small child and the awareness of a woman who had no interest in sharing a reality with him.