The weight of Ethan’s words clung to me like a second skin. Because I like you, Ava. I barely slept that night, replaying our conversation over and over again. The way he looked at me calm but firm, like he had accepted whatever response I had to give, even if it wasn’t what he wanted.
But what did I want?
That question gnawed at me the entire morning. I avoided him at breakfast, choosing a seat between Favour and Gift, who, thankfully, were too preoccupied with their own conversation to notice my silence. But even as I stared at my untouched food, I felt him. I didn’t have to look up to know where he was sitting. His presence was like gravity, pulling at my awareness, making it impossible to focus on anything else. I hated this. I hated how much I cared.
By the time we left for our nex
