The idea had been sitting with Nicole for days, growing teeth.
She had mentioned it once before at dinner with their parents,casually, like she was talking about rearranging furniture or switching out a vase. About Mia leaving the staff quarters and living outside the mansion. She had framed it as concern. Privacy. Growth. A step forward. She had watched Alex's face closely when she said it, the way his eyes shifted just slightly, the way his jaw tightened and then relaxed, as if he had rehearsed that exact reaction before.
He had told her they would talk about it later.
Later never really came. Not properly.
Until thier dinner date.
It was supposed to be simple. Dinner at a quiet place downtown. The restaurant was expensive and private,such where the lights were warm and nobody rushed you out. Alex had chosen it, maybe to prove something to himself. Maybe to remind Nicole, and himself, that this was real and normal and good.
