The comfortable banter continued until Nala made what she thought was an innocent observation. 'You handle everything with such levity. Even being trapped here, separated from your life, from Elio...'
The mood in their shared consciousness shifted instantly.
'Don't,' Zara's presence suddenly turned cold. 'Don't talk about him like you understand.'
'I merely meant…'
'You meant nothing to me! You're the reason I'm trapped here, the reason I can't be with him!' Zara's emotions flared with unexpected intensity. 'You took everything from me and now you want to analyze it like some study project?'
The outburst caught both of them off guard. The comfortable dynamic they'd developed cracked, revealing the deeper hurts beneath.
'I...' For once, Nala seemed at a loss.
'Do you know what I wanted?' Zara's presence trembled with suppressed feeling. 'Before all this? Before you decided to use my body for your games?'