"Does eating with me kill your appetite that much? Or..." Jace Lennox leaned closer to Phoebe Faulkner. "Are you still thinking about things you shouldn't be?"
"It's not that," Phoebe Faulkner quickly denied. "I ate a little while I was cooking, so I'm not hungry."
Jace Lennox gazed into Phoebe Faulkner's eyes and saw her trying to avoid his.
He gave her cheek a light squeeze before pulling his hand away.
"Come to my room tonight." After saying this, Jace Lennox turned and went upstairs.
Phoebe Faulkner remained seated. It took a long moment for her to process what Jace Lennox had just said and what his words implied.
'But I'm not ready for this...'
Phoebe Faulkner lingered downstairs for a long time. She went back to her room and took a shower, and after she was clean, she agonized over what to wear to Jace Lennox's room. She ended up procrastinating until well past nine, finally putting on her pajamas, mustering all her courage, and walking to Jace's door.
