The appetizers arrived, but the tension was the only thing being served in abundance. Clara watched as Daisy stared at her unseasoned poached egg like it was a complex math problem she wasn't prepared to solve.
"Oh, the yolk..." Daisy whispered, her lip trembling. "It's so yellow. It reminds me of the sun I haven't seen since I was trapped in that fountain."
"It's okay, Daisy," Arthur said, reaching for a napkin to dab a nonexistent tear from her cheek. "I'm here. We're all here."
"Actually, Arthur," Clara interrupted, sliding a plate of artisanal crackers toward Julian. "I think Julian is the one who truly understands the 'solar' significance of egg yolks. Julian, didn't you once tell me that Daisy's smile was the only light in your cold, corporate soul? Or was that a fever dream I had?"
Julian froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. "I never said that. Don't invent dialogue, Seraphina."
"Really? Because you're looking at her with such... intensity," Clara lied smoothly, leaning back and gesturing dramatically between the two of them.
"Look at the chemistry! It's like a storm cloud meeting a very damp marshmallow. Arthur, don't you think Julian should be the one to help Daisy with her appetizer? He's so much better at... aggressive encouragement."
Before Julian could protest, Clara physically grabbed his hand and placed it on the handle of Daisy's spoon.
"There," Clara chirped, ignoring the way Julian's skin felt like a live wire under her touch. "Julian, help the poor girl. She's clearly too traumatized by the color yellow to feed herself. Arthur and I need to discuss the quarterly projections for the AI project anyway. It's very technical. Lots of numbers. You'd be bored."
Julian tried to pull his hand away, but he found himself trapped between Clara's iron grip and Daisy's wide, expectant eyes.
"Julian?" Daisy breathed, her voice a tiny squeak. "Would you... would you really help me? I feel so weak..."
Julian looked at Daisy, then at Clara, who was already turning to Arthur with a dazzling, "business-only" smile.
"So, Arthur," Clara said, leaning in so close that Julian's knuckles turned white on the spoon. "I was thinking about the server architecture. I think we should go with a decentralized model. It's much more... resilient. Just like me."
"That's—that's a very interesting point!" Arthur stammered, his face turning a shade of pink that matched Daisy's pashmina.
He was trying to focus on the tech talk, but he kept glancing at Julian, who was now forced to hover a spoonful of egg near Daisy's face like a disgruntled nanny.
"Eat the egg, Daisy," Julian hissed, his voice sounding like gravel in a blender.
"Oh, Julian," Daisy whimpered, leaning in.
"You're so... forceful. It's almost frightening. Arthur, is he being too scary?"
"He's just passionate!" Clara chimed in, not looking back. "Julian has so much passion for your well-being, Daisy. He was just telling me earlier today how much he missed the sound of your... soft, frequent sighing. Julian, tell her! Tell her how much you love the way she breathes!"
Julian's face turned a dangerous shade of purple. "Seraphina, I am going to lose my mind."
"See?" Clara whispered to Arthur, loud enough for the whole table to hear. "He's losing his mind with love. It's so romantic. Anyway, back to the API integration. I think we should start the pilot phase in May."
For the next twenty minutes, Clara turned the dinner into a tactical battlefield. Every time Julian tried to snap a sarcastic remark at her, she redirected it into a "complement" for Daisy.
When Julian complained the wine was too dry, Clara told Daisy, "See? He's worried the wine isn't sweet enough for your delicate palate. He's so thoughtful."
When Julian checked his watch, Clara sighed, "He's so anxious to get you home and tucked into bed with a warm compress, Daisy. He's practically counting the seconds."
By the time the main course arrived, Julian looked like he wanted to crawl into the wine cellar and never come out, Daisy looked thoroughly convinced that Julian was her secret guardian angel, and Arthur was looking at Clara with a mixture of awe and absolute terror.
"You're... very dedicated to your friends' happiness," Arthur managed to say, taking a shaky sip of champagne.
"I'm a giver, Arthur," Clara said, clinking her glass against his. "Now, tell me more about your thoughts on cloud computing. And Julian—don't forget to cut Daisy's steak into heart shapes. She needs the emotional support."
Julian didn't cut the steak. He just stabbed it. Hard.