After dinner, Mike and Davina sat together on the chaise lounge by the pool deck. The night was silent, calm even— but not her thoughts.
Davina’s restlessness was evident in the way she shifted beside him, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the ring on her hand. The questions clawed at her, each one more suffocating than the last.
“Mike…” she finally asked, her voice hushed but firm,
“Why didn’t you ask me anything… about where I was? Why did I change my plans? Why did I announce our collaboration without knowing if you’d agree? And— why are we here, Mike… staying at your brother’s place?”
Mike looked at her quietly for a moment, then smiled— a soft, deliberate smile. He moved closer, making her sit on his lap. His hand gently brushed a strand of hair from her face as his eyes locked
