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Her eyes narrow, though the color creeping into her cheeks tells me she knows exactly which view I mean. “Behave, Reznik.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

“Yet.”

I shake my head, look down, and grab the menu.

We order drinks first, then take our time with the food. Anna chooses käsespätzle, saying it’s what she wants when she’s cold and hungry, while I go for roast pork with potato dumplings and red cabbage. She adds a slice of apple strudel to the order before I’ve even put my menu down.

“You have a sweet tooth,” I observe.

“This isn’t new.”

I exhale, “Then why does it feel like it?”

She laughs, and the sound loosens something in my chest. “Not new, just… different.”

I look at her, trying to read those eyes of hers

“That’s not different,” she says, then takes a sip of her water.

“What?” I ask.

“You’re looking at me and getting the answers that don’t come out easy.”

“I’m sorry if⁠—”

“Don’t be sorry, I rather appreciate it.”

“Good. I rather like looking at your gorgeous eyes.”

She just shakes her head, tries not to blush, and surprises me when she says, “And I like looking in yours too.”

Fuck yes, I want to celebrate that little win, but I obviously know better.

The conversation comes easier than I expected. She tells me about skiing with her father, about the time she insisted she could handle a harder run and spent the rest of the afternoon pretending she hadn’t been terrified. I tell her about a teammate who once tried to impress a woman by claiming he could ski, only to discover the mountain had no interest in his confidence.

Anna laughs so hard she has to put her fork down.

“I’m sure he recovered.”

“His pride did not.”

“Poor man.”

“You’re not sorry for him.”

“Not even a little.”

Under the table, my knee brushes hers.

It’s accidental. The table is small, and when I shift to reach for my water, my leg catches hers. I start to pull away, but she looks up at me, her cheeks suddenly pink, and something in me goes still.

I give her room to move if she wants it.

She doesn’t.

So, when I settle back in my chair, I let my knee rest lightly against hers again.