Aiden rose from his seat again, his determination etched across his face. Julian and Ashton both reacted immediately, their hands flying to his shoulders to hold him down.
"Seriously, do not go," Julian whispered harshly, his voice edged with worry.
"Yeah, Aiden, don't do it," Ashton added quickly, his wide eyes betraying his nerves.
But Aiden simply gave them a small, calm smile, brushing their hands off as if they were nothing more than an inconvenience. "Relax. I'm just going to say thank you to him. Ophelia won't get angry over that. No one gets mad at someone for saying thank you to her fiancé."
Julian's lips pressed into a thin line. Ashton looked like he wanted to argue, but both of them knew from the quiet resolve in Aiden's voice that their words would not matter. He had already made his decision.
