"When a person plays with their food, it usually means two things: they don't like it, or they're thinking about something." Dad's voice pulled me out of my trance. "I'm assuming it's the latter since you're a big fan of my pasta dishes. So, what's bothering you?"
Discussing my weaknesses wasn't my favorite thing to do, and my problems weren't exactly the topic I wanted to talk about.
Forcing a smile, I crunched my nose, hoping I could pull off the act of a great liar.
“It’s—”
“Nothing? Yeah, I thought so,” he interrupted, swirling his wine. “But what’s that nothing about? I’m curious.”
I shrugged, still feeling the ghost of Valerian’s touch on my shoulders. I twirled some pasta on my fork. “I’m just being a woman,” I mumbled, taking a bite even though I had no appetite.
Dad sipped h
