The silence stretched long after the message blinked away on the screen. Ava’s breath stuck somewhere between her ribs, her pulse pounding so loud it filled the space between them.
Xander didn’t move. He just stared, first at the phone, then at her. His eyes weren’t angry anymore; they were worse.
Empty. Cold.
“Xander…” her voice cracked, barely a whisper.
“It’s not what you think.”
He gave a short, humorless laugh. “Then tell me what I think.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing coherent formed. Every word she could possibly use sounded like an excuse even in her head.
“He… he just texted me to ask if I got home safe.”
“After dinner.” Xander’s tone was flat, controlled, but his jaw tightened with every syllable. “With him.”
Ava stepped closer, desperate. “It wasn’t like that. We ha
