"Do you really want me to come get you there?" Azriel asked.
But Penelope didn't answer. Like she was being pulled by a force, her feet advanced in his direction, and she only stopped when she was in front of him.
"Closer, Pen," Azriel said.
She closed up the last of the space between them, and Azriel pulled her with gentle hands to sit on his lap. Penelope could not bring herself to look at him and found the loose thread in her dress suddenly very interesting.
"What are you afraid of?" Azriel asked, his voice soft.
Penelope's eyes met him at that. He was looking at her with genuine curiosity, and she found it only necessary to provide him with the truth.
"There have been speculations about us two, and you know of it, so I am just afraid to give them the truth," she said. "And also, I only imagined it would be a one time… occurrence."
Azriel smirked. "Occurrence?"
"A one-time event."
