"Answer me, Alyssa—what baby is he talking about?"
Elena's voice cut cleanly through the air as she stepped toward us, her movements quick, almost unsteady, as though her body had reacted before her mind could catch up, her hand reaching for Aaron in an attempt to steady him while her eyes moved restlessly between his face and mine, confusion already sharpening into something far more dangerous.
"Aaron," she said, her gaze shifting back to me, her brows drawing together as concern flickered across her expression, raw and unguarded, "why is he like this?"
I let out a small, incredulous laugh, light enough to sound dismissive, controlled enough to hide the brief tension tightening in my chest.
"Um… what baby?" I asked, shaking my head slightly as though the entire situation was absurd, as though there was nothing here worth questioning. "Elena, can't you see? Aaron here is drunk."
But it didn't ease her.
