Alina woke up with the almost-kiss replaying behind her eyelids, again and again, no matter how hard she tried to stop it. She looked at the side. Austin was gone. That was normal. But today, it bothered her.
When she had returned from the library, Austin was already asleep or pretending to be. She had no idea. And honestly, she was glad because talking about their almost kiss felt far too awkward.
While dressing, she caught her reflection in the mirror, touching her lips without realizing. Then quickly dropped her hand, annoyed with herself.
When she entered the great hall, she saw Austin already on his seat. She sat in her chair and
reached for an apple and a knife. The knife slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.
A lot of heads turned towards her but she pretended nothing had happened.
Across the table, Austin reached for the butter and the dish slid. He caught it quickly and muttered something under his breath.
