I decided not to open the door to Caius.
I felt like that was a little victory, because I had been seriously considering seeing what he wanted and I was sure that would have ended badly for one of us.
He was still in the hallway outside of my room by the time I fell asleep, but he had gone when I woke up in the morning and I expected him to avoid me all day because yesterday had been so strange for both of us.
I didn’t anticipate him breezing cheerfully into the courtyard as I sat beside the pond eating fruit in the morning sun, and I was especially irritated by the fact he sat down beside me as if nothing had happened.
“I didn’t expect to see you today,” he smiled, and leaned over to pick a grape from the large silver plate I had balanced on my lap.
I slapped his hand away and looke
