Alexander had just turned his head toward the sound, and my eyes followed his line of sight. Bella walked in as though the room and everyone in it had been waiting for her.
She crossed the dining hall, her hair swinging over one shoulder.
Without so much as glancing in my direction, she pulled out a chair directly beside Alexander and sat down.
“Bella,” he said by way of greeting, his voice flat enough to make the air between them feel suddenly cooler. “I didn’t know you were still around.”
The dryness in his tone wasn’t subtle. If anything, it was a statement in itself—her presence wasn’t particularly welcome. I caught the faintest sign of discomfort in his eyes, but Bella didn’t seem to notice, or maybe she simply didn’t care.
She smiled,“I came to spend some time at home, I'm not
