ALBERT'S POV
The car sped past the city's edge, the bright lights behind us giving way to shadowy neighborhoods and endless fields. The tall trees lining the narrowing road loomed like silent sentinels, their branches casting eerie patterns under the faint glow of the moon. My hands tightened on the wheel.
"Why are you smiling like that?" I asked, stealing a glance at Nora.
She turned, her lips curling into a sly grin. "Because I was thinking about you."
"Really?" I said, a wary laugh escaping. "That sounds ominous."
"It's not a crime to think about you, is it?" she countered, her eyes sparkling as she turned back to the window.
"For you, it just might be," I shot back lightly, but her grin stayed with me, twisting something in my chest.
