Alaric
We couldn't keep our eyes off one another through the entire meal. Every time our glances crossed over the soft, trembling glow of the candlelight, a current of tension rippled through the air, sending involuntary chills down my spine.
I sat across from him, trying my best to focus on the food on my plate, but my heart was beating a wild, frantic rhythm against my ribs. There was no point lying to myself anymore—I had missed Nico so much over those ten days that the distance had felt like a physical ache inside my chest.
I owed this entire night to Dami. Right after I left my family's estate, overwhelmed by my brother's resentment and my own mounting anxiety, Dami had called me out of the blue.
He'd given me a harsh, loving reality check and asked me a simple question: what do you and Nico do best together when you aren't driving? Without needing a second to think, I'd told him that sharing a quiet meal was always when we felt closest.
