"You're late," she said, as if she'd been keeping track, as if it mattered.
Darren studied her from the doorway, irritation flickering low in his chest. "I wasn't aware I owed you a schedule."
"No," she agreed lightly, eyes still on the television screen. "But people who disappear until midnight usually come home looking more tired."
The barb was subtle. To anyone else, it might have sounded like idle observation. But Darren knew better. Her tone was laced with the same sharpness she'd wielded that morning, her way of poking at him without outright defiance.
He slipped off his jacket, laying it neatly over the arm of a chair, movements precise. "You're awake because…?"
"Korean dramas are better at night." She shrugged, as though that explained everything. "And it's not like I'm keeping you from anything. Unless you wanted the couch?"
