Steven walked Lena to her car.
When they reached it, she paused and turned to face him. The parking area was quiet, but filled with only the ambient sound of the city and the distant hum of traffic from the street beyond. The overhead lights cast a warm, steady glow across the space.
Lena looked at Steven with a bright smile and said, "Thank you for tonight. I really enjoyed it."
"I enjoyed it too," Steven said, giving a nod.
"I'm sorry about Drew," she said. "That wasn't how I expected the evening to end."
"Don't apologise for him," Steven said. "That's not yours to carry."
She looked at him for a moment, with her smile becoming warmer.
"We should do this again. Soon," she said.
"It might not be too far away," Steven said.
Lena nodded once, inwardly satisfied with his response. Then she said goodnight, turned, and got into the Mercedes.
