~ Anyssa's Pov ~

I didn't want to give in. But somehow, my feet took over before my brain could even fucking rewire. I walked to where he stood, dragged out a kitchen seat, and plopped my ass down.

Eating with him beside me made me feel… alert. You know when you feel like you're being watched in some way, and you love it? You enjoy being watched.

"You're staring," I said.

"I'm watching you eat."

I didn't say anything else as I slowly took bites of the pasta. It was good – ...