Across the room, Aiden's typing stopped. "You've been staring at that phone for a while," he said, voice calm but edged. "You waiting for it to explode or something?"
Cassian jumped a little. "What? No, I was just… thinking."
Aiden arched a brow without looking up. "You always 'think' like the world's ending."
Cassian tried to smile. "It's nothing serious."
"Cass," Aiden said, finally glancing over, "with you, 'nothing serious' usually means very serious."
his throat went dry
Cassian sighed, pressing a palm to his forehead. "You really don't miss anything, do you?"
Aiden smirked faintly. "I'd say that's one of my many charms."
That earned him a weak laugh, but it faded quickly. Cassian exhaled, stood up, and walked toward him. "Okay. You're right. It's serious."
Aiden shut his laptop, curiosity flickering in his gaze. "I'm listening."
Cassian hesitated, then slid into the chair beside him. "It's… about yesterday. When I went out to buy meat."
