The silence stretched between them.
Then Alaric nudged the bowl slightly closer toward her.
"Eat before it gets cold."
Elena stared at the steaming ramen.
Then at the man sitting across from her.
The man who should have been demanding answers.
The man who had every reason to be suspicious.
The man who instead chose to make her dinner.
She looked away first.
Because for some reason...
Her chest hurt.
And she wasn't entirely sure why.
The ramen eventually disappeared.
Not because Elena particularly enjoyed it.
But because she was hungry.
And because arguing with Alaric required energy she simply didn't possess tonight.
She leaned back against the chair with a quiet sigh.
For the first time all day, some of the tension in her shoulders eased.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Alaric noticed.
He noticed far too much lately.
"Good."
Elena narrowed her eyes.
"What?"
"You look less like you're about to commit a felony."
She stared at him.
For a moment.
Then another.
