The morning came quickly, with Taira still locked in deep thought.
Aveena and Shakti noticed his behavior with ease, but they said nothing. They simply allowed him to try to process whatever was on his mind.
Shakti was naturally much less comfortable with his silence than Aveena was. Her fingers did their own drum solo against her chair that matched the beating of her heart to a T.
She had all of the relationship experience of a plank of wood. No matter how desperately she wanted to say something to the idol of her affection, her mouth simply would not form the words.
It seemed as though Taira must have noticed the effect his mood was having on her.
Underneath the table, he reached to place his hand on her exposed thigh and held it with a firm gentleness. The invisible weight that settled on Shakti's heart turned into a subtle warmth in her cheeks.
"Are any of you creatures listening??"
A wooden round table was currently the tensest spot in Tayar.
