Music Recommendation: You're In Love by Taylor Swift.
.....
Celeste raised her face from him. Her brow furrowed, and her lips pressing into a line as she studied him. She paused, then said. "Dominic, do you smoke?"
The question was quiet, but it carried weight. She caught a faint scent of cigarette on his suit jacket.
Dominic didn't flinch. He leaned back against the pillows, his tone calm, and almost too casual. "Yes. Just occasionally. When I have business with my origin partners."
Celeste blinked, her hand instinctively pressing against his chest as she pushed herself up, her body shifting to stare into his eyes properly.
Her gaze was unwavering. Steady, sharp, and carrying that unspoken authority only she could have over him.
Dominic read it instantly. Her silence wasn't neutral. It was rejection, and it landed between them heavier than any spoken disapproval.
