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“Speaking of biting …” Daphne eyed her sandwich, then took a big bite, letting out a pleasurable moan as she chewed.
As Veronica unwrapped her sandwich, her face contorted. “Oh … I didn’t realize my sandwich came with onions. Unfortunately, I’m allergic.”
“Not a problem—I can have the staff prepare you another one,” Nakul said. “It won’t take long at all.”
Before Veronica could accept his offer, I reached over, swapping my sandwich for hers. “You can eat mine. It’s ham, one of your favorites. And no onions, I checked.”
Veronica blinked twice. “Hey, I didn’t?—”
“Just enjoy it,” I insisted gently, hoping she’d see it wasn’t about me trying to score points; all I wanted was for her to be happy, and to eat.
I took a bite of her sandwich before she tried to give mine back to me.
Veronica hesitated, then took a tentative bite of the sandwich I gave her, glancing over at me as she chewed, appearing to be searching for words, then finally saying, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“Chivalry is not dead!” Daphne joked. “How many times is he going to be your hero?”
Caleb winked at her as he handed over his sandwich to her. “Here, eat mine.”
She chuckled. “That is not chivalrous. You’re doing it because you want something from me.”
“On the contrary,” he said. “This is called preemptive chivalry.”
“There’s no such thing,” Daphne said. “You just made that up.”
“Of course I did!” Caleb chuckled. “But it makes perfect sense, if you think about it. I’m anticipating your needs before they actually become needs. Who knows, maybe you’ll decide you hate pickles today. I’m just making sure you have options! My sandwich has no pickles. You’re welcome.”
Daphne laughed and handed the sandwich back to Caleb. “Nice try.”
Just as Veronica was taking another bite of her sandwich, I noticed a mosquito landing on her arm. Without a moment to think, I reached over and slapped it dead. Veronica jumped and squealed, causing a small piece of bread to catapult from her mouth onto the table. An employee quickly scooped up the stray bread with a swift motion and discreetly disappeared.
“Why did you do that?!” she demanded, shooting me a sharp look.
“There was a mosquito on you,” I responded quickly.
“I didn’t see a mosquito,” she retorted, skeptical.
“It was definitely there,” I insisted.
“And how do I know this wasn’t just payback for earlier, with what happened to your royal jewels?” she asked, her tone half-serious, half-mocking.
“If that’s the case, what is that?” I gestured to the dead insect on her arm, trying to lighten the mood. “Or is that just a birthmark?”
Seeing the mosquito, she grimaced. “Get it off me. Please.”
“With pleasure, Your Highness,” I quipped, trying to inject a bit of humor into the situation. I gently reached for her hand to steady her arm, pulling her slightly closer. With a flick of my finger, I brushed the mosquito away, then used a napkin to ensure her skin was clean. “There. Good as new.”
For a moment, as I held her hand, I let myself enjoy the brief touch, the contact I had missed so much. But Veronica’s expression quickly changed; she stiffened and pulled her hand away abruptly, her eyes narrowing with that all-too-familiar guarded look. Just like that, her walls were up again.
“More chivalry!” Sabrina mused. “And I love when you call her Your Highness. It’s romantic and so regal.”
“I agree, but I have to admit that I’m a bit confused,” Simon said. “I’m getting mixed signals. Are you a couple or not?”
“We’re not a couple,” Veronica stated firmly, without a moment’s hesitation.
“We used to be,” I added quickly, feeling Veronica’s glare before I even finished speaking. “I made a big mistake. Nothing horrible like cheating, but she hasn’t forgiven me yet.”
