Stella stops at the table.
“Hey,” she says lightly.
I smile automatically.
Perfectly.
“Hey.”
Tristan says nothing.
That hits me first.
Not the words she uses.
Not the look on her face.
That.
The fact that he doesn’t speak.
He just watches her.
Like she walked into the room carrying a weapon he can’t quite identify yet.
She glances between us.
Then back to him.
“Is there room for me?” she asks.
Polite.
Casual.
Intentional enough that I feel it in my teeth.
I tighten my fingers on his arm without meaning to.
Not much.
Just enough to mark that I’m here.
“Oh, of course,” I say sweetly.
I make it sound effortless.
Generous.
Inside, my whole nervous system is already bracing for impact.
Stella doesn’t wait.
Doesn’t hover.
She pulls out the chair beside Tristan and sits.
Close.
