She froze mid-step, her mind racing. What was he going to say now?
Her fingers shook, and she felt a bit dazed for a moment. Grabbing the edge of the counter tightly, she turned to look at him, her heart pounding so loudly, thud, thud, thud, that she thought he might hear it. She managed a smile and tried to steady her voice to say, "Yes," but it came out a little shaky.
Zayden looked at her, taking in her expressions without saying anything. He kept his face neutral; he didn't want to come off as harsh. Being rough with her wasn't going to help right then. He wanted her to stay, maybe for her own safety, or perhaps his. His eyes softened as he took a sip from his coffee mug, then glanced over at her. It looked like he was searching for the right words. Finally, he said, "Ummm, I wanted to ask you something."
