“Hey, Maryse.”
I woke up from that nightmarish flashback and realized that it was her that broke that trance.
“Yes, Ayesha?”
“You looked like you were zoning out.”
“Sorry, I was studying too hard and I had a painful memory appear. I wasn’t coming off as how do you say…stand-offish to you?”
“Like being condescending? You weren’t.” Ayesha assured me. “To be honest, it’s different than when we first met.”
“Understood. I tend to overdo things from time to time.” I admitted to my American friend. “Please call me out if I come across as an egomaniac.”
C. M. B. Bell's Writing Universe 