Ava did not finish her breakfast.
She barely remembered pushing her chair back or murmuring an excuse as she rose from the table. All she knew was that the room felt too enclosed, the air too thick, and Damian's presence quiet and composed across from her, too much.
She needed space.
She needed distance.
She needed to breathe.
She needed to get him the hell out of her head.
"I'm going to take a walk," she said, more to the room than to him.
Damian's gaze lifted immediately.
Ava had already turned toward the doors when his voice stopped her.
"May I join you?"
She froze just for a heartbeat.
Then she turned slowly, surprised enough that she didn't bother masking it. "You… want to come with me?"
"If that's alright," he said.
He sounded careful. As though he were stepping into unfamiliar territory and knew it.
