ARIA

We break eye contact nonetheless and I do my best to ignore him and act like I haven't seen him.

By the goddess. I'm so tired of playing these games.

"Have you ever been to one of these?" Luca asks from behind me.

"No. My uncle and I normally just stay inside. We go out to eat occasionally, but that's where it ends."

"Why?"

I shrug. "I just like to stay indoors. It's not something I've ever really thought about."

My answers are all clipped and it's just because of how tense I feel. ...