Dylan’s hands stilled for a fraction of a second.
Adelyn noticed it imdiately, her gaze darting toward him in quiet confusion.
Yet his deanor appeared unchanged —calm, composed, not a trace out of place.
His gaze lowered to the plate before lifting again ... steady as ever.
But not quite the sa.
If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she might have missed it entirely.
But fortunately, she has always been keen-eyed.
Cautious, she asked slowly, "Mr. Warren, is sothing wrong?"
Dylan didn’t respond right away.
Instead, his gaze lingered on her face —studying, deliberate —as if noting every subtle flutter of her lashes before he finally spoke.
"Nothing. I was just curious about your friend."
His eyes flicked briefly toward the dishes on the table.
"Given how much he cares for you ... you must be quite close to him."
Adelyn followed his gaze to the food.
His words sounded harmless, yet sothing beneath them told a different story.
"Yes," she replied, her guard firmly in place. "We have known each other for years. Our friendship has only grown deeper ... to the point where we both consider each other family."
Dylan’s gaze never left hers.
When she finished, he gave a small nod.
The intensity in his eyes eased, and the subtle weight in the air seed to lift —restoring back the fragile sense of calm.
"Friends and family are both important." With an unhurried voice, he said evenly. "As long as one knows where each belongs ..."
Adelyn almost nodded in agreent.
But then she stilled.
And then it ca to her —
Friend.
Family.
The distinction he had drawn was not so passing philosophy.
It was deliberate.
He wasn’t just defining the difference —
He was placing himself within it.
Adelyn fell silent.
Wasn’t he ... easing his way into her life a little too smoothly? A little too fast?
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Just then, he looked up at her, one brow lifting ever so slightly.
"Is the food not to your liking?" he asked, his gaze flicking briefly to her untouched plate before returning to her.
Adelyn snapped back to reality.
Shaking her head, she replied quickly, "No, I was just thinking about sothing."
Not waiting any longer, she picked up her fork and knife and began to eat.
Dylan watched her for a long second before resuming his al as well.
Adelyn might not have been particularly experienced with children, yet sohow, she found herself tending to Eira from ti to ti.
Halfway through the dinner, a sudden thunderclap made her pause.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she turned toward the window, catching a flash of lightning reflected against the glass.
"The weather isn’t great," she murmured. "The rain might get worse later."
She turned back to Dylan —only to find him already looking at her.
His expression remained composed, almost different, as though this was sothing he had anticipated all along.
Dylan read her thoughts with ease.
"The forecast ntioned it earlier," he said.
"Oh," Adelyn said lightly.
Then, realizing sothing, she added quickly, "Then we shouldn’t delay. Let’s finish the dinner soon so you and Little Eira can leave before it gets worse."
With that, she resud her al —not hurried, but clearly intent on finishing as soon as possible.
However, despite her efforts, nature didn’t seem to favor her.
Within minutes, the rain intensified, doubling in force.
By the ti they finished the dinner, Adelyn knew the best mont to send them off had passed. The pitter-patter of the rain was loud enough to make her frown.
"The rain isn’t stopping anyti soon," Dylan said, rising to his feet, checking the ti on his watch.
Adelyn stood as well, her gaze drifting toward the window where the downpour had only grown harsher.
"That doesn’t seem very safe," she said, her brows knitting slightly. "With the way it’s raining, so routes might already be blocked."
She had wanted them to leave all this while —but now, she wasn’t sure that was the right decision.
Dylan glanced at her, his gaze deepening ever so slightly.
"Are you asking to stay for the night?"
Adelyn’s eyes widened at once.
She clearly hadn’t ant that.
Caught off guard, she shook her head imdiately.
"No, that’s not what I ant."
She turned toward Eira, who sat quietly on the sofa, looking up at her.
"What I ant is ... leaving in this kind of weather with her could be dangerous. You might get stuck sowhere on the way."
Eira looked up at her, already saddened by the passing mont. With every second, the ti to leave felt closer. But she had to leave eventually, she knew.
She contained her tears, not letting them fall ... soothing herself internally, saying that she could visit another day again.
"It will be dangerous," Dylan agreed.
Relief washed over Adelyn. Otherwise, just now, she almost saw another misunderstanding stirring up.
"Yes, exactly. That’s what I ant." She then paused and suggested.
"Since the weather is like this already, you can wait a little longer," she said. "Maybe, in a while, the rain will ease."
She hoped it would.
"It won’t," Dylan replied calmly, slipping a hand into his pocket. "And if we stay any longer, it won’t be much different from staying overnight."
Her gaze darted to the clock.
22:45
It was late.
"If you’re concerned about Eira," Dylan continued, "you can let her stay here for the night. I’ll have soone pick her up tomorrow."
Adelyn turned back to him, slightly startled.
"And you?" she asked almost imdiately —almost instinctively.
Dylan stared into her eyes and held her gaze.
"If my presence makes you uncomfortable," he said slowly, "it’s better that I leave."
With that, he picked up his jacket and then turned to Eira.
"Are you willing to stay here?" he asked.
Eira blinked at him but didn’t respond right away.
Instead, she turned to Adelyn and gently tugged at her arm.
"Aunt Ade-lyn ... can Eira stay with you for the night?"
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