Amara blinked, slightly caught off guard by the direct question.
Still, she answered politely.
“It’s… nice, actually.” She gave a small shrug and looked down at her cup for a second before meeting his eyes again. “I got my own place. I’m living there now with a friend.”
“Great. It’s good to see you adjusting well,” Maverick muttered quietly.
Amara gave a small nod, but a second later, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her fingers tightened slightly around the warm coffee cup before she looked up at him.
“Mr. Bishop… there’s actually something I need to confess.”
Maverick’s eyes lifted to hers immediately.
For the briefest second, something dark flashed across his face before it disappeared behind another calm expression. He leaned back slightly in his chair, one hand resting lazily near his cup while his lips curled into a faint smile.
“What is it?” he asked. “What do you want to confess?”
Amara let out a small awkward breath before lowering her eyes to the latte in front of her. Her fingers brushed nervously against the edge of the cup.
“To be honest… I didn’t come here expecting anything,” she admitted softly. “My friend set this blind date up behind my back and practically forced me to come. I only found out I had to show up here a little over an hour ago.”
She gave him an apologetic smile.
“I came because I didn’t want to disrespect you by not showing up, but…” She hesitated briefly before forcing herself to continue honestly. “I’m not really looking to start seeing someone right now. I just wanted to make that clear so you wouldn’t misunderstand why I came here tonight.”
Maverick straightened in his seat.
He placed his coffee cup down carefully against the table before looking at her quietly for a few seconds. Then a smile appeared on his face.
“Oh,” he said lightly. “That’s disappointing.”
His tone sounded teasing, but his eyes remained unreadable.
“I was hoping we could get to know each other a little more.”
“Yes, of course.” Amara quickly shook her head. “I mean—I knew this was technically a date. It’s just… I didn’t really prepare for any of this. My friend had already arranged the date, and I didn’t want to embarrass you by canceling at the last minute.”
She let out a small embarrassed laugh before lowering her eyes again.
“But I know this is unfair to you, so I’m sorry about that. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”
Maverick stared at her for a second before giving a nod.
“Alright then,” he said. “We won’t take it seriously.”
He leaned back again, relaxing into his chair.
He lifted his coffee and took a slow sip before continuing,
“Let’s just think of this as two friends meeting each other.”
Amara visibly relaxed at his words.
“Besides,” Maverick added with a faint smile, “you’re the ex-wife of my close friend. Of course I will respect you.”
“Thank you,” Amara said softly.
“Thank you.”