Absence makes the heart fonder, that is what everyone always says, is it not? And yet… Eva’s heart was everything but fonder now. Emiliano could not truly have predicted how much her words would sting, like a knife stabbing his chest with no promise of ever stopping. Still, he didn’t let it show his hurt, instead his lips tugged into a smile, “You don’t mean that,” He said hoping it was true. He let out a low chuckle, as if brushing her jab aside.His hand twitched, aching to reach out, to brush away the anger, but he resisted, keeping it clamped firmly to the armrest instead. She was trying to get a rise out of him. He knew this game all too well—they’d played it before, trading barbs and keeping score. “After all I saw the look of surprise on your face when I came back during thanksgiving,” He pointed out, a boyish smile on his face. Then: the smile dropped and his brows furrowed, his brother? What does his brother have to do with this, he wondered, especially at the last part, “Okay,” he said out loud, accepting that she was probably trying to cause a rise out of him or confuse him.
He glanced at her again, his eyes lingering on the necklace she wore—the one he’d given her all those years ago. He hadn’t expected her to still have it, let alone wear it. That small, silent reminder of their past was a heavier blow than any insult she could hurl at him. But Eva, being Eva, would never admit what it truly meant. She probably didn’t even realize she was playing with it, letting her fingers trace the delicate chain while she aimed for his heart.
Nice necklace," he said casually, though the weight of his meaning was anything but. His gaze held hers, waiting to see if she would acknowledge the significance or brush it off like everything else between them.