The game concluded, the last of Kofi's ridiculous lies hanging in the air.
'He saved me,' Thea thought, her hands still clenched tightly in her lap. The intense focus of the group had shifted away from her, and the quiet space she was left in felt like a sanctuary. She risked a glance at Kofi, who was now engaged in a low-volume, pointless argument with Nina about the definition of "culinary arts." He did not look at her, he did not act like he had done anything significant, but Thea knew. 'He saw I was scared, and he just… fixed it.' It was a new and strange sensation, being protected without being pitied.
