Authors:

You want to take me to a movie?" I asked. "Well, not really," he said. "What I really want is for you to be my girlfriend. But I thought saying that might scare you off.

Sarah Dessen (2011). “What Happened to Goodbye”, p.183, Penguin
You want to take me to a movie? I asked. Well, not really, he said. What I really want is for you to be my girlfriend. But I thought saying that might scare you off.