I gnaw on my bottom lip and smile awkwardly. “That’s okay. I’m not quite ready for that.” “I didn’t mean to pressure you. I just hate for our evening to end already.” “We do live next door to one another. I have a feeling I’ll see you around plenty, although that might be more difficult when Zeno returns home.” He lifts his hands to cup my cheeks and pierces me with his stare. “I’m not afraid of Z. In fact, let him see us together. I’d love for him to face the fact he can’t control everything.” His words snag in my ears, unraveling a thread of concern. “That’s not what this is about, though. Right?” I pull back enough to escape his touch. “You’re not going out with me just to piss him off, are you?” It hadn’t occurred to me before, especially when Nevio is so convincing with his admiration
