ASTOR'S POV
The question echoed again in my head, and my eyes suddenly took notice of the grease-splattered cardboard of our pizza boxes as lay open like miniature battlefields, conquered slices scattered under a flag of napkin. It was all noisy around us, but my world had narrowed to just Clara's concerned gaze and the molten lead sloshing in my stomach.
"Can I ask you something?" she said, her voice peppered with that gentle curiosity I adored.
My heart tripped over itself, doing a double backflip in my chest. The question I'd been dodging like a rogue pepperoni since the curtain fell right on me. It felt like juggling knives blindfolded, knowing one wrong toss could shatter everything.
I tried the distraction tactic, champion of stalling since junior high. "Sure, anything," I chirpe
