But even then, she couldn't let the silence stretch too long. She needed to say something, anything, to distract from the way her heart was pounding.
"W-Wait a minute." She muttered, her voice quiet but tinged with suspicion. "This handkerchief...isn't this the same one you used to wipe the log earlier? You're not secretly smearing mud on my face as a joke, are you?"
Cassius's lips twitched into the faintest smirk. He paused, then shook his head slightly as he gently dabbed at her nose.
"Not at all." He said evenly. "I would never do something so cruel to such a pretty face."
Julie felt her chest tighten, her heart stuttering for a second as a small, unbidden flutter crept into her stomach.
"I-It's not like my face is that pretty…" She mumbled under her breath, looking away sharply.
Cassius ignored her flustered response and continued. "This is my second handkerchief, by the way."
"Second?" Julie repeated, blinking at him. "Why do you even carry two handkerchiefs?"
