Xara clenched the fork so tightly her knuckles turned pale, the metal trembling slightly in her grip. Her hand hovered mid-air, fingers stiff, as she stared at Aether's face—his lips slightly parted, his eyes wide and expectant with an innocent face.
But that smug little smile at the corner of his lips… the subtle glint in his eye…
It wasn't innocent. Not even close.
Her heart thudded heavily in her chest, a chaotic rhythm of frustration and love. She was torn between jabbing the fork into his tongue to shut him up—or shoving it in, just to stop that look.
Or...
"...Fine," she mumbled under her breath, voice barely audible, more for her own sanity than for anyone else around the table.
With rigid, jerky movements, she stabbed a lone vegetable on her plate and slowly, almost dramatically, lifted it toward his waiting mouth. But halfway through... she paused.
Her hand hovered, trembling.
