Isabella stood frozen, words stuck somewhere between her throat and her lips. Her heart raced, and her fingers twisted nervously at the hem of her dress.
“I... I...” she stammered, but no words came out. The silence between them thickened, stretching longer than either could handle.
Gabriel’s calm eyes didn’t make it any easier. He stood quietly, his posture straight, his face unreadable.
“I’ll just go and get my dinner,” Isabella finally managed to say. Her voice sounded small, almost like a whisper. Without waiting for his reply, she brushed past him.
Gabriel stepped aside slightly, letting her through without a word.
She could feel his gaze on her back as she walked away, and it made her steps heavier.
“Why am I even bothered about what he thinks?” she muttered under her breath as
