The sentence trails off, and it’s the pause that makes my stomach twist.
Theimplication.
The thing she doesn’t have to say out loud because her eyes already did.
Jace’s voice stays calm. “We’re having dinner.”
“I can see that,” she says with a laugh that’s too sharp to be real. “Well. Lovely. Just lovely.”
She leaves, still smiling.
The moment she’s gone, the air in the booth changes.
My appetite disappears.
I stare at my plate and feel my chest tighten like I’m about to cough up something ugly.
Jace watches me. “Sarah…”
“I’m fine,” I say too fast.
His jaw flexes. “You’re not.”
I reach for the glass of water in front of me, sliding it forward a little before gripping the stem. “It’s nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” he answers, low.
I meet his eyes, and there’s something in me that wants to lash out just to stop feeling exposed.
“You wanted public,” I say, the edge in my voice sharp enough to surprise me. “This is public.”
His jaw tightens, but not in irritation. In restraint. “That’s not what Iwanted, it's what I suggested.” he says.
I exhale through my nose. “Intent doesn’t change how this feels.”
He leans back slightly, and for the first time tonight, I see the cost of his control. The patience. The way he’s choosing his words instead of saying the easy thing.
“You said normal,” he says quietly. “I’m trying to meet you there.”
“And I’m trying,” I snap before I can stop myself.
I adjust the silverware next to my plate and the fork clinks against it. The sound feels loud in the booth.
Jace goes still. “Okay.”
The word is even, controlled. It doesn’t escalate, and it doesn’t retreat.
I swallow, because I recognize the impulse behind my tone. I’m testing the space between us, pressing on it to see if it shifts.
He holds steady.
And the part of me that expected resistance doesn’t know what to do with that.
He reaches for his wallet, tosses cash down, and says, “Let’s go.”
I blink. “What?”
“You’re wound so tight you haven’t taken a breath,” he says. “You’re not okay and I’m not gonna sit here and watch you pretend this is fine.”
