Chloe sat at the grand dining table, her fingers lightly gripping the fork as she poked at her food. Across from her, Starry sipped his coffee, his face calm, his eyes on the newspaper in front of him. The silence in the room was thick, neither of them wanting to speak first.
She focused on her plate, trying to eat, but her mind kept going back to last night. She had barely slept. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the way he had looked at her—his gaze dark and full of something she didn’t want to name. His touch had lingered, his words had been firm. If she hadn’t pulled away at the last second…
She pushed the thought aside and took a small bite of toast. Her stomach was in knots, but she had to act normal. She had to pretend it didn’t matter.
Starry, on the other hand, looked as
