It takes them less than a sentence to slip into their usual routine of contradicting each other and arguing over absolutely everything, which becomes exhausting to listen to after more than a few minutes, so as usual, I tune them out entirely.
That honestly seems to be their favourite pastime.
Bickering.
Milo and Octavia are exactly the same if not worse.
The only difference is that Octavia genuinely seems to hate Milo.
Milo, however…
He looks at her with such an absurdly fond smile sometimes it’s unsettling to witness.
Hunter’s leg suddenly brushes mine beneath the table and a small gasp leaves me.
Thankfully, Isaak and Adelaide are too loud in the middle of their argument for anyone to notice my reaction, and I am so grateful for it.
I look up at Hunter.
His expression remains as serious as ever, but there’s the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes as he watches me.
“Good morning.”
He says it so simply that my heart betrays me completely, and before I even realise it, I’m smiling back at him.
Something flashes through his eyes for a brief second, almost like I caught him off guard too, but it disappears just as quickly.
And for one moment, it feels ridiculously easy to simply let go around him and—
My fingers tighten slightly around the spoon.
Because I can’t let myself think about things like him and me.
That night was reckless. I knew it was a mistake and I did it anyway.
A brief illusion of freedom.
One selfish choice before the rest of my life stopped belonging to me.
Before I became nothing but a marionette in someone else’s hands.
And now I am paying for it.
Because he refuses to let go.
But the worst part is that I can’t even pretend I regret it.
Because for a few hours that night, I got to simply be… me.
And God, part of me wishes I could do it again. Stop fighting him, stop fighting myself.
Because I know, without a doubt, that I will never feel anything like that again.
Not in the life waiting for me.
“Piper.”
Adelaide’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
