"So, when will we be seeing each other again?"
Zeke asked the question with practiced ease, but his hands were in his pockets—thumbs hooked, knuckles pressing against the fabric. A tell.
Yeon was heading back to Althelgard. Two days had passed since the pseudo-date, and the afternoon light caught the blue tips of her hair as she turned.
"Whenever." She glanced over his shoulder. Her expression flickered—a micro-flattening, the corners of her mouth tightening. "You're giving off the wrong impression."
The boys had emerged from the house's entrance, lurking in the doorway with the subtlety of a pride of lions pretending to be housecats. Kai's hand was clamped over Aaron's mouth. Jude stood slightly behind them, arms crossed, doing nothing to stop either of them.
"What if it's the right one?"
Zeke leaned in—close enough that she could see the silver threading through his black hair, the way his eyes caught the light. His voice dropped to something softer, almost conspiratorial.
