Mika could see it in her face, the way her pride was flaring again, her chest rising high as though she'd just been reborn. His words had lit something in her, a glow that made her eyes even more radiant than before.
She looked like a woman who had just shed an invisible weight and found new life, and seeing that made him quietly proud. She deserved to carry herself like this, with her chin high and her heart unburdened.
But then, as he was caught in that thought, Yelena suddenly leaned forward with an excited, childlike spark in her expression. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, and her eyes gleamed as though she had a secret she couldn't hold back.
"Hey, Mika." She said, voice teasing but sweet. "You said I look pretty, right? That I'm so beautiful you can't even walk next to me?"
Mika groaned under his breath. He already knew exactly where this was going.
And sure enough, she leaned in even closer, her voice bubbling with glee.
