"Watch what, though?"
Her voice was softer now. Too soft.
Her smile curved—not like a question, but like a blade tracing along the edge of a sheath.
"I am really curious on that."
Leonard didn't blink.
But he felt it.
That subtle shift behind her gaze. A faint shimmer beneath her words. Not overt—not yet—but the weight of intent, pressed down lightly, like a palm resting on the lid of a boiling pot.
She knew something.
And she wanted him to know that she knew.
He kept his tone neutral. Smooth. As practiced as ever.
"Just watching stars," he said. "Isn't that what we're all here for?"
Her smile widened as if he'd just confirmed something for her.
"I suppose we are," she murmured. "Though some stars burn a little differently, don't they? Some shimmer. Some flare. Some… vanish altogether when you look too hard."
And then—
She moved closer.
