“Comfortable.”
My heart does a strange little flip.
“That's a nice way of saying boring.”
“Who said anything about boring?”
The way he looks at me makes it difficult to remember basic vocabulary.
Or breathing.
Breathing is also becoming a challenge.
“You know,” I say softly, “for somebody who's supposed to be good at this, you're awfully distracting.”
Kai takes a step closer.
“That’s funny,” he murmurs.
“Why?”
“You're the distracting one.”
The room suddenly feels much smaller.
Neither of us moves.
Neither of us looks away.
And for the first time all evening, the teasing fades.
Leaving something else behind.
Something quieter.
Something intentional.
His hand brushes mine.
Just a touch.
Nothing more.
Yet somehow it feels bigger than all the flirting.
All the joking.
All the fake dating nonsense.
“Mary.”
The way he says my name sends a shiver through me.
“Yeah?”
“You know this thing?”
“What thing?”
