The tension on the cherry blossom path was thick enough to be cut with a dull spoon.
Kael stood slightly behind Theo, watching the scene unfold with a sense of déjà vu. This wasn't the first time Melina had ambushed them, though usually, she was more subtle about it.
Over the past month, Theo's older sister had been engaged in a persistent, almost aggressive campaign of "sibling bonding." She would appear at the edge of the cafeteria while they were eating. She would "coincidentally" run into them at the library. She sent invitations to lunch, to tea, to study sessions—all delivered with a polite, aristocratic smile that didn't quite reach her violet eyes.
And every single time, Theo had deflected her.
He didn't scream.
He didn't cause a scene.
He just... slid away.
He used excuses that were polite enough to be socially acceptable but vague enough to be insulting. "I have research to do." "I am tired." "I have a prior engagement with a book."
