I cleared my throat, still feeling the echo of Ryen's laughter ringing in my ears.
"Anyway, joke's on you. I've already got plans for lunch."
That shut them up for a second—Leona raised an eyebrow, and Ryen tilted his head like a dog hearing a weird sound.
But it was Kiera who reacted first.
"…What?"
Her voice was quiet. Flat. But in that one word, I could feel the temperature in the room dip slightly.
I glanced at her.
Kiera was standing just a step behind Ryen and Leona now, arms still crossed, her eyes not quite meeting mine. Her posture stiffened, like she'd been caught off guard and didn't know how to play it off.
"You what?" she asked again, sharper this time.
"I… have plans," I repeated, slower now. "It's not a big deal. Just something I agreed to earlier."
Her eyes narrowed.
"With who?"
