'Ding'—the sudden sound of Lucius's wine glass landing on the table echoed sharply.

I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not.

He glanced at me briefly, picked up his glass, tapped it lightly against the table, and downed it in one smooth motion.

It was decisive.

I pretended to sip my juice.

Everything seemed fine on the surface, but the tension in the air was palpable.

I felt like a bit of a jerk—causing a scene at someone’s ...