Jayden raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "How did you know I was seventeen?"
Frost shrugged casually. "Just a hunch."
Jayden didn't respond, keeping his face perfectly neutral.
Frost sighed, her playful demeanor fading into something remarkably soft and grounding. "Look, I know you must be going through some heavy stuff right now. I get it."
"You don't," Jayden scoffed defensively.
"Oh, but I do," Frost said quietly. "Why else would you be in here, at a bar, if not to drown your sorrows." Her dark eyes locked onto his, and for a second, the temperature in the room seemed to drop again, but this time with pure melancholy. "Broken souls like us... we're connected. Through pain, suffering, isolation… and grief. It leaves a mark."
Jayden shook his head, looking away. "You don't even know me."
