Aria.
The dinner was simple but warm. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat like this, just… eating. No cafeteria noise. No judging stares. No weight of expectations or fear pressing down on me.
Just Kai.
And soup.
I leaned back, setting my empty bowl on the side table, and let out a contented sigh.
“You always cook like that?” Kai asked, tossing his spoon into his bowl.
“Like what?” I asked, raising a brow.
“Like you’re on a cooking show and trying to save someone’s life with a can of beans and stale herbs.”
I scoffed. “Says the guy who almost burned water.”
He chuckled and leaned back, arms stretched behind his head like he owned the universe. Typical.
He didn’t disagree.
We sat on the couch again, a blanket draped over the side in case the cold crept in again. The fire cr
