The connecting door opened.
Augustus Evans stood on the other side wearing grey lounge trousers and a plain white T-shirt.
No suit. No tie. No watch. No armor.
This was deeply unfair.
I'd spent years developing resistance to Augustus in expensive tailoring. Nobody had warned me about Augustus dressed like a normal human being.
His hair was slightly damp, and without his usual severe collar, he looked younger. Less intimidating. Almost approachable.
Then he looked directly at me, and my ability to form sentences resigned.
"I wasn't—"
"Were you—"
We stopped together.
"You first," he offered.
"No, please."
Another silence.
"This is ridiculous," I announced.
"Agreed."
He glanced at the open doorway, careful not to step through it. "I heard movement. I thought I'd check whether everything was all right."
"Everything's fine."
"Good."
"I also reconsidered our earlier goodnight."
His eyes returned to mine. "Oh."
