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“There’s nothing to talk about,” he scowled.

She lit up. “I know! We should ask if you can sit next to her for dinner.”

“And why would I want that?”

“You’re absolutely right. Far better to simply stare at her from across the room. I’m sure that will be far more effective than having a conversation.”

“More effective implies I have an end goal.”

‘Still sticking to that?”

“What could I possibly want from her?”

She sighed. “I wonder? It truly is a mystery.”

His grip tightened on the handle of his knife. The cool silver pressing into his flesh was a grounding sensation against his pounding heart. He couldn’t believe what she was implying. She knew better than to make assumptions like that. She knew his thoughts on women. Combined with the earlier statements, it was obvious what she was trying to imply. “I thought I told you to drop that,” he ground out.

She hummed, “You did, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to listen.”

“I supposed I should have known better than to expect that from you.”

“You truly should have. Your happiness is of the utmost importance to me after all.”

“And you don’t trust me to manage that on my own?”

“Of course not! Why would I? You have already shown you will not do what it takes to find it.”

“Then if I might be a bit more direct, I would like you to promise me you won’t meddle. I mean it,” he added when he saw the petulant look on her face.

She huffed, “I don’t understand why you’re even asking me this. After all, if there’s nothing between you, then there’s nothing for me to meddle in now, is there?” She said the last part while smirking from behind her glass.

“Just because there isn’t anything between us doesn’t mean you won’t try to create something out of nothing for your own entertainment.”

“Is that truly the kind of thing you think I do?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Well, that’s rather rude of you to say.”

“It’s only rude if what I said isn’t the truth. Are you truly going to look me in the eye and tell me anything I have said is false? That anything I said is out of character for you in the slightest?”

She didn’t say a word, simply picking at her food.

“Felicity,” he warned, “you still haven’t promised me.”

She looked away. “Of course, I haven’t agreed to anything. I don’t know what you want me to say. I don’t even know what you’re asking me.”

“Yes, you do. You simply refuse to say it.”

“And why would I do that?”

“Because you know that if you did, it would ruin your little game.”

She laughed. “When you say it like that, it makes it sound like you weren’t expecting me to agree.”

“I wanted you to agree, but it seemed a rather likely possibility that you would argue with me even if you did end up relenting.”

“If you knew I would refuse, then why did you bother asking?”