The Engraved

Lucia's eyes twitched upon hearing what Daniel had said. She wanted to argue that a woman shouldn't be measured alone by beauty, but she remained silent. 

"I would love to see more, but I'm exhausted today. Maybe I should go home now," Lucia excused herself and untangled Daniel's arm around her. She faked a yawn to show she was serious. 

"Oh! Sure, but it's already late. Perhaps you can stay here for tonight. There's nothing wrong with it since we'll be sharing a room sooner or later," Daniel explained, taking Lucia's hands again. 

Lucia wanted to disagree but felt terrible shivers crawling at the back of her spine. The thought of sleeping with Daniel made her want to gag in disgust. 

"Are you okay?" Daniel asked upon seeing an unhappy expression on Lucia's face. He expected her to jump in excitement at his offer. 

"Oh… umm," Lucia cleared her throat as she composed herself. "That would be lovely," she replied, showing her widest smile.