Jayden blinked.
His heart stuttered, just once... but the skip echoed through his chest like a drumbeat in an empty hall. The air between them grew thick, charged with something unspoken.
Penelope's eyes held his, and for the first time, he saw the cracks in her usual composure. A fragile spark flickered in her gaze, as if this question had been burning inside her for far too long, threatening to scorch her from within.
Slowly, deliberately, he set down his glass. The soft clink of crystal against glass was deafening in the silence.
"I think…" His voice was rough, barely above a whisper. He swallowed, then looked at her fully. "You're amazing. Beautiful. Intelligent. Powerful. A little playful, but also…" His throat tightened. "Gentle. And the sweetest person I've ever met."
