ADINNA
Dean’s eyes shift before anything else. It’s a small flicker, barely there, but I’m watching him too closely not to notice. The silence between us is loud, and the way he shuffles around almost nervously catches my eye.
He tries to recover immediately, sitting upright, leaning back on his palms like he could pretend what I asked didn’t affect him. It’s clear he’s trying so desperately to keep up the warm and always happy act.
“Oh? Now you care about me?” he asks, stretching his grin too wide and far too fast. “I don’t need you to look out for me, Adinna, I’m perfectly fine. Besides, why're you so interested all of a sudden?”
He laughs, loud and sudden. It’s the kind of laugh that just sounds fake and wrong. It sounds like it’s coming from a place he doesn’t actually feel right
