Alex stops when he steps in front of her, glancing around trying to find something to focus on other than him before finally giving in and meeting his eyes.

The apology was a good start. And taking his number was tempting. She didn't want to talk about it, but maybe she did kind of want a friend. Maybe she could, from time to time, keep pretending to be normal. "Why are you doing this? Why're you trying to be nice to me?"