A few days later, the couple sat at the dining table. The air was warm with the scent of roasted food, but the atmosphere was filled with unspoken tension. Seraphina pushed her fork around nervously, her lips parting as though she wanted to say something but kept swallowing the words back. Finally, after minutes of hesitation, she gathered her courage.
“Vin… Vincenzo, can I ask you a question?” she muttered shakily and her eyes darting up at him before dropping back to her plate.
He leaned back in his chair with his glass of juice in hand. “Hmmm… what?” His tone was flat, but the way he dragged the sound made her pulse quicken.
Seraphina clasped her fingers together under the table. “Can I go out for a few days along with my friends?” she whispered, the words leaving her mouth like a gu
