Bethany had been trying to get close to Larry for days. No matter where Larry went, Bethany somehow found a reason to be nearby. If Larry was sitting in the living room, she would eventually walk in and sit across from him. If he moved into the kitchen, she would suddenly need something from the kitchen too.

At first, Larry tried to ignore it. But Bethany noticed that he was becoming increasingly frustrated by her constant presence.

“Larry, you been avoiding me?” Bethany asked with a teasing smile.

“Bethany, I’m not avoiding you. I’m just trying to have some peace,” Larry replied.

“Peace? You act like I’m bothering you.”

“You keep coming around every time I sit down.”

Bethany smiled and told Larry that maybe she simply liked being around him. Larry tried to explain that he needed some personal space, but Bethany wasn’t ready to give up.

Bethany continued joking with Larry, hoping to lighten the mood. For a few moments, Larry remained quiet. But the more Bethany teased him, the more frustrated he became.

“You know what? You’re too serious,” Bethany said with a laugh.

“Bethany, stop!”

“Why? You know I’m right.”

“I said stop.”

Bethany continued teasing him, believing Larry wasn’t genuinely angry. But Larry’s patience was quickly running out.

“I’m not playing around right now!”

Bethany’s smile disappeared. She finally realized that Larry was seriously upset. She tried to explain that she was only joking, but Larry reacted in anger and pushed her away from him.

Bethany lost her balance and fell to the floor.

The room immediately went completely silent.

Larry froze. His anger disappeared almost instantly as he stared at Bethany in shock. He seemed unable to believe what had just happened.

“Bethany…”

“You pushed me,” Bethany said quietly.

“I know. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Larry immediately realized that he had crossed a serious line. He knew that being angry did not justify his reaction.

“You were angry, but you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. I shouldn’t have touched you. I lost my temper.”

Bethany admitted that she should have respected Larry when he asked her to stop. But Larry also acknowledged that he should have walked away instead of reacting in anger.

“I should have walked away. I should have left the room. I should never have reacted like that.”

The tension between them became heavier. Bethany explained that she had been trying to stay close because she wanted things between them to become better.

“I kept trying to stay around you because I thought maybe we could get back to being okay.”

“I understand that,” Larry answered.

But neither of them could ignore what had just happened.

“I think we both need to step back before things get worse,” Larry said.