I swallowed. “I think… I used to think that if people didn’t approve, I had failed somehow. That their judgment said something about me.”
Thoren was quiet for a long moment.
Then he said, “You haven’t failed a damn thing. Ever.”
I looked up.
His gaze was steady. Warm. Sure.
“And if someone does look at you sideways today,” he added, “they can take it up with me.”
A small laugh escaped before I could help it. “Gods, you’re bossy.”
“I’m the king. It’s in the job description.”
He grinned at his own words, rising from the table and offering me his hand like he expected a royal curtsy in return.
I rolled my eyes and took it anyway.
By the time we reached the car, something in me had started to bubble—something fizzy and unfamiliar. Anticipation? Playfulness? I wasn’t sure. But it humm
