Alisha glanced at him as soon as she heard his question.

"Nothing," she replied, shifting her gaze outward once more.

"You're unusually quiet," Alex observed.

He couldn't decipher her thoughts, but her silence, coupled with her distant look, was certainly out of character for Alisha.

It was unsettling for him.

He couldn't pinpoint why he felt this way, given his fondness for silence, but Alisha's silence was different—it made him crave her usual banter, even if it was trivial.

“Let me ...