An inference is a conclusion you draw from information, rather than something you directly observed.
You see a short reply. You infer irritation. You notice someone looking away and infer boredom. Sometimes your reading is right. Sometimes a detail you don’t have would change it.
The missing word is perhaps.
"They don’t want to work with me" feels quite different from "Perhaps they don’t want to work with me. I haven’t heard back yet."
The second sentence doesn’t require optimism. It keeps the uncertainty where it belongs instead of quietly converting it into a fact.
The Hidden Hero’s Journey explores perception and interpretation through the domain Sky. You notice what happened, what you added and what could help distinguish plausible explanations.
You aren’t asked to stop interpreting. You wouldn’t get far without it. You are invited to notice when a conclusion has borrowed the certainty of an observation.
Evidence asks what supports your reading. Ambiguity considers situations in which more than one meaning remains possible.
Noba’s Judgment and Decision Making explains how people make judgements from available information. It provides background for examining an inference without treating all everyday reasoning as suspect.