He slowed, then stopped.
What was he supposed to do now? Dumb, overbearing idiot, he’d scared her off…
He pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes. Every single time she just wanted a moment, he just had to go assume she’d throw herself into another snowdrift. Or maybe that wasn’t it. Maybe he’d been too needy and hugged her too much.
Breathing hurt now, and he thought maybe he was hyperventilating. Keep it down. Be quiet; leave her alone. She has things to think about already.
“I’m sorry,” he said to the forest in case she was listening.
I’ll leave you alone, he thought wearily. Maybe… find a snowdrift to look at.
He walked off his own way into the woods, keeping his shoulders squared and his chin up. He was already lost, anyway. What was another hundred, two hundred, five hundred feet?