ELISA'S POV
Mona may have left, but somehow the kitchen didn’t feel as quiet as I had desperately hoped it would—not with Kara returning with no more chores to do at the moment. Kara had taken it upon herself to fill the space with her soft humming while tapping the counter with her fingertips. I was moving some bowls aside, pretending to be busy, when I realized someone was standing closer than they had been a moment ago.
At first, I thought Azrien was just passing behind me, but he didn’t keep walking. His presence lingered. At first, I wanted to pretend I didn’t notice he was there, hoping he would leave me alone if he didn’t get the attention he was clearly looking for. Maybe if I didn’t speak, he would leave. But then I soon realized it didn’t matter after all. He didn’t need me to
