ASHTON
Skylar's apartment smells different the second I step in. It takes me a moment to place it. Unlike before, it's not the usual sterile blend of expensive candles and untouched furniture that always made her place feel more like a showroom than a home. This…this is warmer. I smell butter. Toast. Something faintly sweet, like caramelized onions or honey glazed bread.
I pause just inside the doorway, my gaze sweeping the room while Ashal brushes past me with a casual, "Smells like you're finally feeding yourself properly."
"Wow," Skylar calls from the kitchen, her voice light, almost teasing. "That's the first thing you say to me on your first visit, Ashal? Not even a hello?"
"I said hello in my heart," Ashal shoots back, already loosening his sleeves as he heads toward her.
