The silence stretched between the three, thick and uncomfortable like a blanket soaked in cold sweat.
But they couldn't just stand there forever like three statues caught in a moment of shared depravity.
If none of them spoke, it would become suspicious.
They would start questioning each other, wondering why the others were so quiet, so flushed, so...affected.
Fauna broke first.
Her voice came out small, flustered, and deliberately casual, the kind of casual that screamed I am absolutely not casual right now.
"So...that was...surprising, wasn't it? What Mika was doing, I mean."
She immediately wanted to slap herself.
Surprising? That was like calling the ocean a little damp. But it was too late now.
Yelena seized the lifeline like a drowning woman grabbing a floating plank.
She cleared her throat, trying to sound indignant, but her voice came out several octaves higher than usual.
