Thea accepted Nina's private request before I could turn removal into anxiety. She ended our group call, then sent one location both women had independently approved: the quiet courtyard cafe beside Nina's journalism building. My name correctly did not appear anywhere upon their deliberately private meeting invitation that morning.
"You will receive shared outcomes afterward, not a transcript," Thea said while we walked back from breakfast.
I agreed because their connection needed privacy even when its subject involved sex with me. Curiosity still arrived through several questions I had no right to ask.
"Do you want me nearby afterward if either person needs support?" I asked instead.
Thea requested that I remain available by phone without waiting outside the cafe. Visible proximity could make their direct conversation feel supervised through my nervousness.
