They ate in silence for a while—only the soft clicks of chopsticks and the distant echo of footsteps from the corridor filling the room. The tension from earlier had faded into something else now, something subtler. Calmer. A kind of rhythm.
But Isabelle's mind wasn't quiet.
She glanced at Damien, who seemed perfectly at ease with his meal, and then back down at her own lunch. Her voice came quieter this time, the edge of challenge blunted by something closer to genuine curiosity.
"…Are you really serious about becoming my study partner?"
Damien didn't look surprised by the question. He didn't even pause. He just continued eating for a few more seconds, finishing a bite before speaking.
"Yeah," he said simply.
She frowned, brows knitting. "I still don't understand why you'd want that."
This time, he did look at her.
