~Alistair's POV~
"Hello," she said smoothly. "Would you mind if I joined you? Everywhere else seems to be full."
"No," I said instantly, my tone flat and unwelcoming.
"Actually, yes, go ahead," Roman interrupted, pulling out the chair next to him.
The woman, who introduced herself as Ella, sat down with an air of forced confidence.
She immediately tried to pull me into conversation, her eyes scanning my face with an interest that made my skin crawl. She asked questions, made observations about the view, and tried every trick in the book to get me to engage, but I gave her nothing but icy, one-word answers.
Roman kept trying to bridge the gap, playing the charming host to make the situation work, but I'd had enough.
Finally, I raised my left hand, the band on my finger catching the light of the rooftop. "I'm married," I said, cutting her off mid-sentence. "So you can stop trying."
