Elena's POV
"You two seem cozier than usual."
Victor's voice carried its usual easy charm, but something behind his eyes had sharpened since the last time I'd seen him, a watchfulness that hadn't been there even a week ago. He'd caught me refilling my coffee in the small kitchen, and though his posture stayed relaxed against the counter, everything about his attention felt more deliberate than casual conversation warranted.
"We're engaged, Victor. Cozy seems like the expectation."
"True enough." He studied me a moment longer, something calculating moving behind the pleasant surface of his expression. "Though I noticed the shift myself, actually. The whole floor did, I imagine, given how thoroughly Ruth interrupted things the other day."
Heat crept up my neck despite my best effort to
