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It might be the only fast food place in town, giving me qualms about its quality, and damn, it’s delicious. Hot and salty and everything I crave.

I’m feeling so much better now that I’ve eaten. I try to relax and shake off the strain of the day. My hair is loose around my shoulders and my stomach full and happy with the chicken.

I sneak a guilty glance at Tase under my lashes, hoping Soren is too distracted to notice. He’s focused on Aiden and some joke about a fisherman with a leak in hisboat.

When I look over to Aiden, his attention flicks to me like he knows.

Guilt is keen and serrated and slicing through my insides. Seems like I’m racking up the guilt these days despite my best intentions.

Who am I kidding? I’m not doing a good job of keeping my hands to myself.

A throat clears and I turn to Soren to find him staring at me too. He’s been doing it more and more lately, although not the glares I expect. They’re hard looks, ones I feel like a physical touch along my skin.

Aiden and Tase both do their best to lighten the mood but it’s clear things are more strained now than usual. Did something happen after I left today? Or is this just an additional thingbecauseof me?

“Thanks for dinner, Tase. That chicken is delicious.”

“I guess it’s normal to call him by his name after working hours are done.”

My attention jerks to Soren. “And why not? Would you rather I start calling you by your last name? Nice to see you,Savage. Have a good day with your head up your bum hole,Savage?”

Tase swallows over a snort before he crunches into another piece of chicken. Aiden is more open and good-naturedly ribs his cousin before reaching for another breast from the box.

He then pulls out a crispy drumstick and places it on my plate. “Last drumstick goes to Gilli,” he announces as if it’s some grand award.

“I’m full.”

“You had a wing and some mashed potatoes, after not eating all day,” Tase pipes in. “I guarantee you’re not full.”

Soren scoffs. “Let her do whatever she wants. She’s an adult, isn’t she?”

I agree with him. Not the tone, but because I don’t wantthem to push me or hover over me. Having a protector at my back is one thing, but having them crowding me is an entirely different beast.

I consider smiling at Soren only to find him watching me like an ant under a magnifying glass.

“She won’t tell you,” Tase begins conversationally, “but she almost passed out at work today from not eating.”

“What?” Soren snaps.

“She isn’t really eating when she’s home, either.” Aiden drums his fingers on the table and leans back in his chair. “Noshes like a little bird and probably goes hungry more often than not.”

The peach pit in my stomach grows and weighs as much as an anchor. “Oh, you’ve been watching me?”

“I watch you constantly, Gilli, don’t kid yourself.” Aiden’s tone stiffens my spine.

“You need to eat more,” Soren adds gruffly.

He sounds more condescending than concerned. I’m not in the mood to deal with him tonight.

“Typical. You go from cold to domineering in the blink of an eye.” I offer the statement like a snide aside, meant solely for Soren in this case, but no one laughs.

Soren stares at me with his fork clenched like a mini pitchfork in his hand. “Typical, eh?”

I shrink in on myself a little bit. The attention shouldn’t be on me. Not like this.

Is it not possible to have a normal dinner where we aren’t at each other’s throats? I thought it might be possible until they started in on my eating habits.

“I eat,” I tell them. “And maybe I’ll have a little more to eat in a bit after I’ve had time to digest. Satisfied?”