"Good morning." Olessia said the moment Kaive stepped into the dining hall. Her voice came out quicker than she meant, and she mentally scolded herself for it.
"Good morning." He replied as he took his seat, calm as ever… like nothing in this world could rattle him.
The cooks came in, placing the morning spread on the table: sliced pomegranates, honey-soaked figs, roasted barley cakes, steamed date pudding, and a bowl of spiced melon.
Kaive picked up his spoon first, and she followed a second too late, noticing it and feeling ridiculous for noticing it. She wasn't trying to do that... goodness, no... but something small and annoying moved under her skin whenever he was close recently.
A strange awareness. The kind that makes a woman suddenly conscious of where her hands are, or how she's chewing, or whether her voice sounds normal.
"So." Kaive said, glancing at her, "did you sleep well?"
"Eventually." She answered.
