AN HOUR LATER
ZAVIER
Dinner should have been calm. That was my first mistake. The table was long, unnecessarily long, covered in food that looked too expensive to touch, and yet somehow Riko was already eating like he had been personally challenged by the concept of manners.
"I AM BEING ELEGANT." He said with his mouth full.
"You are committing a crime." Ben replied.
"I AM WINNING THE CRIME."Riko said.
"You are losing dignity." Leo added.
"I ACCEPT LOSS."Riko said.
I sat between Adam and my sanity, slowly leaving my body. Adam's hand rested lightly against mine under the table, not obvious, but there, steady, grounding, and also slightly possessive in a way that made my brain short circuit every time I noticed it.
"I am trying to eat." I muttered.
"You are staring at your plate." Adam said.
"I am thinking about eating."I said.
"You are thinking about overthinking eating."Adam said.
"That is accurate."I said.
"Eat."Adam said softly.
"I feel attacked."I sighed.
