"Let's slip away in the morning."
Arthur nodded silently, a brilliant, helpless smile lighting up his face as Natalia detailed their plans for the upcoming Sunday. The acute anxiety that usually plagued him had begun to dissipate. He knew Natalia was clever; she would craft a seamless, airtight excuse to get them out of the house without triggering a barrage of suspicion from Uncle Kevin and Aunt Kelly.
"Okay," Arthur murmured, his eyes dropping to their joined hands.
Natalia kept her gaze fixed on him, entirely captivated. His eyes were bright, a soft smile playing at the corner of his mouth as that familiar, lovely flush crept up his neck. He always turned an exquisite shade of crimson whenever they were close. It was undeniably adorable, providing Natalia with a flawless, unspoken roadmap of exactly how much he was feeling.
They hadn't even done anything monumental yet, and here he was, completely undone by a simple hand-hold.
