Page 32 of Balance

“Hello…” he began, his gaze lingering on Damen’s fingers.

“Hello there,” Damen responded, his sulky mood instantly on the mend. “What have you been up to? You look like hell.”

“This and that,” Bryce answered, loosening his burgundy tie. “What haveyoubeen up to? Did Damen actually feed you today?”

“I’ve never not fed her!” Damen protested. “We went to Colette’s place. There were breadsticks.”

Bryce shot me a knowing look, and, for a second, I felt less crazy than before. Someone else had seen through Damen’s deception—Bryceknewof the pain I suffered. It was a rare thing to eat with Damen and the man never seemed to notice. Perhaps, in this, I had an ally.

“Damen made her mad and she took the breadsticks away,” I answered, touching my lips as we stepped onto the porch. “We didn’t eat yet, and I don’t need anyone to feed me. I’m perfectly capable of making dinner. Are you hungry?”

Damen froze, while Bryce, who had been in the process of opening the door, paused and looked at me, an expression of astonishment on his face.

“I could eat…” he spoke slowly, seemingly afraid to say something wrong. “Why?”

Why?

Who would ask ‘why’? Wasn’t it obvious? My God, he distrusted me this much.

How could our relationship have come to this?

“I’m going to make spaghetti.” I was sure we had the ingredients, and pasta was impossible to mess up. “Do you want some?”

“Are you going to poison me?” Bryce asked.

“Who cares?” I pushed past him, entering the lobby and allowing the onmyoji to take off my jacket. Damen seemed to be pulling out of his stupor, his features twisting in silent amusement. “It’s not like you’d die anyway,” I added.

Damen gasped out a laugh, shoulders shaking as he turned from the clawfoot coat rack.

“Don’t laugh.” Bryce frowned at him, hanging up his own jacket. “It’s true.”

“What’s funny?” Finn peeked out from the living room.

My chest constricted in alarm. I’d completely forgotten to account for Finn. Now how was I supposed to get some alone time?

Why was he always in the wrong place at the wrong time?

“Bianca is.” Damen brushed past me, leading the way to the kitchen. “Although I don’t think she realizes it.”

“Ah…” Finn fell into step behind us. “Yeah, she’s like that.”

Bryce stayed beside me in the kitchen doorway as Damen poked around the kitchen, while Finn stood near the counter watching his brother.

It was weird watching the two of them interact without any drama or glaring. Even more concerning was this not-so-secret conversation happening between them—a conversation I didn’t understand at all.

And it was about me.

My stomach twisted—this was a highly uncomfortable feeling.

“Hey…” I hissed at Bryce, pressing my elbow into his side. I waited until he glanced down at me before continuing. “What did I say that was so funny?”

Bryce shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I have no idea. You were only stating a fact. But sometimes you need to make concessions for others. Not everyone thinks the way we do.”

“But we’re normal?” I asked, desperate for his answer. “I don’t want to be weird.”

“You’re not weird. Just feel sorry for them. It must be exhausting being so illogical.”

“You know we can hear you, right?” Damen dropped a large pot onto the island, startling us. He pressed his hands onto the flat surface, glowering at Bryce. “That’s extremely rude. Don’t teach her your bad habits.”