Kaija's hands gave in, and her stiff muscles relaxed completely as she let Antony press her hands closer to his face. With his large fingers filling the small gaps between hers, she could feel the heat from his skin sinking into her palms.
They stayed like that for how long, she didn't know. But when Antony finally spoke again, the gold in his eyes had softened, quieter now, looking into hers with a strange tenderness, and something almost like... longing.
"Thank you," he whispered, lowering her hands onto his lap.
"You're feeling okay now?" she asked, watching him closely.
He didn't answer that, but his face had composed again, and that alone made her feel relieved. "The festival is in a month?" he asked instead.
She nodded quietly. "Do you think… I'll stand a chance?"
