Nina blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Her brain struggled to process what she had just heard, the words echoing in her mind like a half-remembered dream.
"What…?"
The word escaped as barely more than a confused whisper.
"What did you say?"
But Lucas didn't repeat himself. Instead, he simply studied her for another long moment, his expression unreadable in the dim kitchen light.
Then he stepped back.
The movement was subtle, almost imperceptible, yet it felt like someone breaking free from a strange spell, or perhaps retreating from the edge of something neither of them was ready to name.
The air between them shifted, grew cooler somehow.
Nina cleared her throat awkwardly, heat creeping up her neck and flooding her cheeks with embarrassment. She could feel the warmth spreading across her face, betraying every confused emotion swirling inside her.
Her eyes darted frantically around the tiny kitchen, searching desperately for something… anything, to anchor her attention.
