Elaris POV
He stole a glance at me from the top of the table where he sat. I stabbed my fork at my meal, pretending I didn't notice, pretending that I didn't feel the rush of heat on my skin at his stare. That I didn't feel the slight shiver down at my core as he continued to steal more glances at me over his meal.
I had avoided him all through yesterday, knowing I would have to deal with the aftermath of our date gone wrong. But I couldn't avoid him forever.
Silence presided over the table as the four of us ate like strangers. Though Torren still wore his stare explicitly, it was not at the same intensity as before.
By some miracle, he wasn't drinking heavily this morning. He ate. He picked at his omelette carefully with his fork, moving with the precision of a surgeon for each bit of food he fed into his mouth.
