She exhaled slowly, her eyes softening as she looked at him. "Just… don't make things harder than they already are."
And suddenly, it happened.
She jumped.
Before Lyan could react, before his mind had a chance to catch up with what was happening, Clarisse closed the distance between them and kissed him. It was a quick, impulsive movement, one that seemed to surprise even her as much as it did him. Her lips pressed against his, soft and warm, but there was a tension beneath the kiss—a raw mixture of confusion, anger, and something else neither of them could name.
Lyan's eyes widened in shock, his body stiffening at the unexpected contact. He hadn't seen this coming, not at all. For a moment, the world seemed to stand still, his mind going blank as her lips lingered against his. Time slowed, the sounds of the inn fading into the background as he tried to make sense of what was happening.
But just as quickly as it had begun, it ended.
