William found himself thinking about Colleen far more often than he was prepared to admit.

She seemed to have slipped quietly into his thoughts and taken up residence there. He thought about her when he was driving, when he was working, and especially in the quiet moments when there was nothing to distract him. Even when he was with his wife, his mind sometimes wandered back to Colleen—the way she carried herself, her warmth, and the moments they had shared that seemed insignificant at the time but now felt loaded with meaning.

William was beginning to realise that this was more than a passing attraction.

But he had no idea where it was going.

He wondered whether Colleen felt anything similar or whether he had simply read too much into their interactions. The uncertainty made him cautious. The last thing he wanted was to make Colleen uncomfortable or damage whatever connection had quietly developed between them.

If he was going to take things further, he knew he couldn’t simply assume she wanted the same thing.

Perhaps the first step wasn’t some grand confession. Perhaps it was simply spending more time with her, allowing their conversations to become more personal and seeing whether she naturally moved closer to him too.

William knew there was a fine line between letting someone know you were interested and making them feel pressured.

He wanted Colleen to know.

But he also wanted her to have the freedom to choose.