I turned. Lucian stood a few feet away, his hands shoved into the pockets of his dark jacket, his sharp gaze fixed entirely on me.
"Hey. When are we practicing? It's Tuesday." His voice was smooth, but there was an edge there, like he wasn't really asking.
I hesitated, my hand tightening on the rope I was holding. My eyes darted to Freya, who was currently laughing at something Kai had said as he dramatically failed to open a jar of jam.
Her copper hair blazed like a warning signal in the afternoon sun.
I swallowed.
Freya didn't notice me staring, but I knew if I stayed here, I'd chicken out. Better to just get it over with now.
I forced a casual shrug. "Now, I guess."
Lucian's eyes narrowed slightly, as though he'd expected me to make an excuse. But he just nodded. "Alright. Let's go."
My pulse jumped. I told myself it was because of nerves, acting in front of Lucian was intimidating enough without the whole… almost-kiss thing from last night burning a hole in my brain.
