Theo was still talking to the woman, but his body language told a different story. He wasn't leaning in; his smile was polite rather than inviting. And every now and then, Elena caught it — his eyes, flicking sideways toward their table, watching Nora's reaction when the woman touched his arm.
Elena hid another smile behind the rim of her glass. So, that was it.
Theo wasn't doing it because he was interested in the woman at all. He was doing it because of Nora — to make her notice, to make her feel.
He, who had never allowed any woman besides Nora to stand close to him before, was letting this stranger hover near him on purpose.
And it was working. Nora's pleasant conversation with Elena and the others was now peppered with tiny bursts of annoyance every time her eyes darted back to Theo.
"Honestly," Nora said after a while, crossing her arms again, "he looks ridiculous. She's not even that pretty."
Elena chuckled, leaning back casually. "You think so?"
