Hey Tens!

I really liked the characterisation here. You do a really good job with the interviewer I think. I liked the constant details about the notepad too, reminding us that this is an orchestrated conversation, not exactly something that's as friendly as it seems.

> It looked like some form of shorthand, all soft curves and smooth transitions, very few angles.

And speaking of, I really loved this bit. The detail you had here shows just how experienced and prepared Mr. Tanner was. And not to mention, it just flows really well with the character perspectives too.

I do just have a few bits and bobs for you though,

> His interviewee’s nerves melted away and she returned his smile, sitting forward in her chair and wrapping her hands around the mug on her kitchen table.

So a couple of things here. We're shown that these two know each other and Mr. Tanner has been trying to get an interview with her for a while now. The thing is, this is, we get this information before we even get her name. So it kind of distances us from either character. I hope that makes sense.

And similarly, this is also the first time that we hear about where we are. A small detail about the kitchen table but I think putting that a bit earlier might be better?

> “…though perhaps I spent a bit more time on yours than usual,” he followed up quickly.

This just broke the almost predatory image your painting of Mr. Tanner. Not sure if it's intentional, but it just feels a bit abrupt to change the power dynamic like this and then revert all the way back by the end.

> Alright. At the age of 16, a friend and I decided one day to hitchhiking. We were going to see a concert. In Portland.”

I think you want "hitchhike" here.

Also, just a few too many very small sentences. Commas might help in some places.

> “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I told you. You made me want to tell you everything. How did you even do that?”

Hmm, you mentioned you're still working on an ending. But this still felt a tad abrupt. Like he's convincing, sure, but here she makes it sound like it's magic.

I hope this helps.

Good Words!