Ryan's POV
I couldn't just sit back down after that.
Not after my hand had already reached for her face.
That would have been suspicious.
So I did the only thing I could think of.
I made it look casual.
I brushed my thumb over the corner of her mouth, wiping away the tiny spot of sauce she somehow missed.
Except the second I did it, I realized how close we actually were.
Layla froze.
Completely.
Her eyes lifted to mine, and for a moment, she just stared.
Not angry.
Not annoyed.
Just... surprised.
Which was somehow worse.
"What?" I asked, leaning back slightly. "Why are you looking at me like I just committed a crime?"
She blinked, finally snapping out of whatever thought had trapped her.
"You know, you could have just told me I had something on my face."
She picked up an
