He spoke carefully. “You take up exactly enough space.”
I blinked.
“No more than you should,” he continued. “And never take up less. Please.”
My throat closed. I quickly looked back down, trying to align two pieces that absolutely didn’t fit.
“That’s a dangerous thing tosay to me,” I said.
We fit two pieces together with a satisfying click.
I studied him for a second. “What about your father?”
He sighed. “He didn’t allow me to leave the clan borders. He considered the human world corrupting and dangerous.”
“And you obeyed him?”
“For my whole life,” he said. “Yes.”
“And now?”
“The last year has been a rebellion of sorts,” he said calmly. “I’ve been traveling, interacting with humans more. Using phones, learning to drive, and so on.”
I smiled. “You are a menace.”
He glanced at me. “I enjoy it.”
That made me absurdly happy.
I didn’t even try to hide it. I grinned so hard that my cheeks ached.
“If I could choose a profession,” he murmured, “I think it would be making you smile like that as often as possible.”
We held each other’s gaze a second too long. Something tightened low in my chest. I looked away first, not trusting what might happen if I didn’t.
“I was never the kind of masculine my father valued,” he added. “I was too studious and not forceful enough. He preferred certainty without curiosity.”
I reached for a piece near his hand. Our fingers touched and stayed there a beat too long.
“I like your version,” I said. “It feels safer.”
His gaze held mine. It was intense and uncomfortable in the best way.
We went back to the puzzle. Shoulders touching now. Knees pressed. No one commented on it.
The picture started to take shape, and order emerged as sky met land.
My adrenaline finally began to ebb.
“I think I’m ready for bed now,” I said quietly.
He nodded. “Good.”
We didn’t finish the puzzle.
Nothing happened.
Everything did.
