**A guest**

They didn’t talk much at first.

Lucas sat back against the pillows, one leg stretched beneath the foldable table now balanced across both their laps. Valentina sat cross-legged beside him, her hair tucked behind her ear, still a little damp from her shower. She dipped a piece of sushi into soy sauce and reached across to drop it into her mouth, chewing quietly while scanning the rest of the options.

He watched her for a moment before going back to his own food, reaching for the ...