Ethea's breath hitched.
She looked away. She could not help it. The heat in her cheeks had spread to her ears, to her neck, to places she did not even know could feel warm. Her heart was doing something strange, something that felt almost like dancing, and she did not understand it.
She did not understand any of this.
He was just asking about colors. Just saying simple words. But every word felt like a stone dropped into still water, sending ripples through places she had thought were dead.
"...What else?"
The question came out before she could stop it. She looked back at him, her eyes slightly wide, her voice barely holding steady.
"What else... do you want to know?"
Soren blinked, surprised. Then his smile widened just a fraction.
"Lots of things actually," he said. "But we have time. No need to rush."
He picked up the spoon again.
"For now... let's finish breakfast. Then we can continue."
