Gwyn chuckles, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
“Except me, of course.”
I raise an eyebrow, leaning forward. “Why? What happened?”
“He underestimated me when we first met. Thought brute strength alone would be enough to take me down.”
Alias groans, rubbing the back of his neck like the memory physically pains him.
“In my defense, you came out of nowhere. I wasn’t prepared for someone so...quick.”
“Quick?” Gwyn echoes, her voice dripping with mock offense. “Alias, I had you on the floor, submitting in under thirty seconds.”
Alias looks at her, a mix of frustration and flirtation in his eyes, though he knows all too well that every word she speaks is true.
"I mean, she’s a little scary when she’s angry," he mutters under his breath, just loud enough to be caught.
“A little?” Gwyn scoffs. “You were begging for mercy.”
“I wasn’tbegging,” Alias protests, sitting up straighter.
“You were,” Callum finally says, his voice cutting through the lighthearted bickering.
Everyone turns to him, surprised he’s joined the conversation. Alias narrows his eyes at him, clearly annoyed.
“You weren’t even there, Callum. How would you know?”
“I was there,” Callum replies evenly, his gaze flicking to Gwyn before settling back on Alias. “I watched her take you down. You hit the floor so hard I thought you might’ve cracked it.” Gwyn smirks, clearly enjoying the vindication.
“See? Even Callum remembers. And he doesn’t waste time remembering things that aren’t worth it.”
Alias takes another bite of his carrot, chewing thoughtfully as he glances at Gwyn.
“Are you going to pet my bruised ego, my lady?” he teases, his voice dripping with charm.
Gwyn doesn’t even glance at him as she rolls her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitch. With an almost imperceptible sigh, she stands up and moves toward me.
“You really are insufferable,” she mutters under her breath, but I catch the faintest glimmer of affection in her tone, even if she’s trying to hide it.
Alias watches her go, a broad smile spreading across his face, clearly satisfied with the reaction he’s gotten.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he says to no one in particular, his eyes following Gwyn as she walks away.
I can’t help but notice the way Alias’ gaze lingers on her, his teasing smile softening just for a breath, as if savoring the little exchange. It’s subtle, but I can see the affection there—the sameaffection that Gwyn tries so hard to mask with her dry humor and cutting remarks.
I turn to Gwyn, who’s now standing beside me.
“You’re not going to give him the satisfaction?”
She shakes her head, a small, wry smile on her lips.
“If I did, he'd never stop. But Iwilladmit, I enjoy keeping him on his toes.”
Alias leans back on the log, watching the two of us, clearly content with the attention and banter he’s stirred up.
“AndIenjoy every second of it,” he calls out with a grin.
Gwyn shoots him a side glance, her smile flickering for just a second before it fades into her usual calm composure.
