Bella almost choked on her juice. "W-what?! N-no, no, I'm not qualified for that!"
Leo smiled faintly over the rim of his cup. "You never know, bunny. You seem… quite good with systems."
Her heart skipped. "Wha—systems? I—I don't know anything about—"
He leaned back, studying her flushed face, the way she tried to look anywhere but at him. "Relax," he said smoothly. "I'm just teasing."
Bella puffed her cheeks and muttered under her breath, "You're evil."
He chuckled, the sound deep and low. "And you're adorable when you panic."
Aunt Clara blinked at the two of them, torn between smiling and sighing. "I swear, you two sound like schoolchildren sometimes," she said, shaking her head fondly as she poured more tea for Bella, who loved drinking rose-sweet rose tea.
Bella grumbled quietly, pretending to butter her toast with extreme focus while Leo continued sipping his coffee, his gaze occasionally drifting toward her, that tiny, smug smirk never leaving his face.
