“Are you saying I seemed frightened before?” I asked, pretending to be offended but feeling a little thrill at his observation.
“No,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips, “but I did notice that you were focused on appearing confident. Now, it’s just you. There’s no effort. It's natural.”
I thought about what he said, and he was right. I had worked hard to project confidence, especially when everything felt so unstable. But now, with him by my side, it felt real.
“I think I have you to thank for that,” I said, looking up at him through my lashes.
Alexander raised a brow, genuinely surprised. “Me? What did I do?”
I rolled my eyes playfully. “Don’t pretend to be so shocked. You’re always giving me compliments. Who wouldn’t feel more confident with you around, telling them
