"Rivals?" Ren repeated.
Liora looked at him with the same expression of frustration he was getting used to, but then with a softer expression. Something more vulnerable beneath the exasperation. "Yes, Ren. Rivals. Because apparently there are at least three of us, possibly six if we count the new ones, competing for your... your time."
The correction was clumsy, obvious.
Ren was completely paralyzed, processing this information.
Liora saw his expression and sighed again. Then, resolved, she stood and walked around the table until she was in front of him.
"Maybe," she said, her cheeks flushing even more, color spreading across her pale skin, "I should be more proactive. Make you remember that I was first."
Ren swallowed, his eyes very wide. His heart was beating faster, awareness of her proximity making thinking difficult.
