They walked back into Lance's room together, the soft hiss of the oxygen machine filling the space as the door closed behind them. Lance turned his head at the sound, his eyes landing on them immediately, sharp and aware despite the way he lay against the pillows.
"Well, well," he said, his voice rough but amused. "So that's why you disappeared on me."
His gaze shifted to Iyisha, then back to Malcolm.
"Left me mid-conversation with a nurse… for her," a faint smirk forming on his lips. "I'm getting a little jealous."
Iyisha let out a small laugh, unable to stop it.
Her chest still felt warm.
That had been—
Different.
Not entirely new, not something she hadn't felt before with him, but the way it had happened, the way he had looked at her after… it lingered under her skin in a way she couldn't shake. She glanced at Malcolm from the corner of her eye, just for a second.
Lance caught it.
"Yeah," he said dryly. "That look right there. I see everything, by the way."
