Mira walked toward our table with the small, knowing grin of someone who had been waiting for exactly this moment.
Celestine caught it instantly. Her shoulders squared, spine straightening as her eyes narrowed a fraction. The shift was subtle, but the air around her cooled.
"Abram, right?" Mira said, stopping beside us.
"Yeah. Mira?"
She stood on the other side of the table, eyes sparkling with open amusement as they locked on mine. Celestine glanced between us, then settled her gaze on me with a smile that twisted through layers.
"What are you doing in the capital?" Mira asked.
"On a date," I said, the words a gentle reminder that I wasn't alone.
Mira turned to Celestine with effortless charm. "I'm so sorry, lovely. Just excited to see him again—you know how it is." She kept it breezy. Celestine gave a gracious nod, the patience of centuries smoothing her expression.
