For a moment after her declaration, no one spoke.
The air around the table seemed to settle, as if the weight of Ariana's words had briefly stilled everything else. The usual clatter of dishes and conversations from the other tables continued in the background, but for their group, time felt oddly suspended.
Dylan was the first to react.
"Well damn," he said with a low whistle, leaning back in his chair as he stared at Ariana with wide eyes. "Didn't expect that to come out that loud."
A small grin slowly spread across his face.
"But hey," he added, raising both hands slightly in surrender, "I'm not complaining. That was actually pretty cool."
Ariana's cheeks turned faintly pink as she realized how loudly she had spoken, but the embarrassment didn't completely erase the determination that had settled in her expression.
Maxwell nodded slowly.
"I think that's the best decision," he said calmly. "If Sheila opens up to anyone right now, it'll probably be you."
