"You slept with Ethan?" Dax repeated, calmly enough that it might have passed for curiosity to anyone who did not know him.
Chris froze, realizing he had misjudged the direction of a conversation entirely. He turned his head slowly, really looking at Dax now, and caught the tightness in his jaw, the way his gaze had gone unreadable rather than sharp.
"What?" Chris said. "No. Gods, no."
Dax exhaled through his nose, controlled, but the tension did not fully leave his shoulders. His thumb, which had been resting idle against Chris's side, resumed a slow, grounding motion, as if reminding himself where Chris was.
"You stayed with him," Dax said. "He stayed with you. You speak of it casually."
Chris blinked once, then twice, and something like understanding crept in. "…You're jealous."
"I am aware," Dax replied evenly.
