"Not here," Annie replied, bouncing a brief glance around the room. Today might have been a good day for it but for the location. By now, she was intimately familiar with how her anxiety worked, and talking about home and everything that happened… A public space would be a bad idea. There was no place for her to hide here, and so very little to help her stay anchored.

"I don't mind talking about it, but not here," she clarified, eyes more brightly alert when they returned to Chase, like a wary bird on a branch.