章 16: Chapter Sixteen.

Brody returns a few minutes later. I turn to find him walking towards me, his shoulders squared and rigid. His expression is unreadable, almost as if he's purposefully wearing a mask to stop me from seeing the emotion in his face.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, watching as he slides back inside the booth smoothly. Brody doesn't respond immediately, his eyes fixed on the table between us.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

When he speaks, he tilts his head up to hold eye contact with me. The green in them darken as he studies my eyes, his entire expression a hidden mask. I shift in my seat uncomfortably, squirming underneath his intense stare.

"Why do you do that?" I mumble, dropping my gaze to my food instead. I pick up a chip and nibble on the end, grateful to have something to fiddle with. I always feel less nervous around people when I have something in my hands.

Weird, right?