Aveline murmured, "This still doesn't make it a date."
Alaric wasn't naive. He knew the gap, her emotional distance, but he didn't want to make it awkward. He feigned a soft chuckle, thumb grazing her knuckles. "Then I'll keep trying until it counts."
But she took her hand away and stepped back. "Thank you for the dinner. I'll rest for the night." She said, her voice losing the charm, her eyes avoiding his gaze.
She took her mobile and began walking away. She didn't want to regret following him to Silvamus, but she blamed herself for complicating everything in her life. That made her wonder if she was always so complicated.
She had yet to take a breath when she heard him say, "Sunshine…"
"You should rest too." She brushed him off.
She wasn't embarrassed, he knew that. He didn't bring her there to watch her drown in another mess. Before she could enter her room, he caught her hand and gently tugged her to face him. "Say it." he probed.
