Payment In Kind.

Lina had long discovered that not everyone would obey and respect one's boundaries.

There were those who deemed themselves too charming to obey and carried a truckload of confidence to get whatever they wanted, however they wanted it. And one of those people was the man seated next to her with a patient look in his eyes.

He was assessing her, weighing her.

There was a question of 'why' whirling in her mind, but she wasn't going to ask. Not because she wasn't curious, but rather because she didn't want to know. She wasn't interested in knowing.

Concluding she had nothing to say to him, Lina looked away and took a bite of the chocolate mousse cake. It was rich and sweet, and though it could have been a bit moist, she liked it.

"Good?" She heard him say, and without asking, she knew he was referring to the cake.

"It's wonderful." She replied, taking another bite of it, a larger mouthful.

"I told you." Pete smiled.