She was all that mattered

So I sat there, the movie playing in the background, my eyes on her rather than on the screen. I watched the way her fingers clenched the pillow in her lap, the way her shoulders tensed, the way she avoided looking at me. She was trying so hard to pretend that everything was okay, to act like we were just another couple watching a movie on a quiet evening. But I could see the cracks in her facade, the way her fear and uncertainty were seeping through.

I shifted uncomfortably, my heart beating a little too fast as I tried to ignore the intensity of my own emotions. "Watch the TV, not me," she said, trying to sound playful, but her voice came out strained.

I chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that seemed to vibrate through the room, through me. "You're more interesting to me," I replied, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

She blushed, the pink tinting her cheeks, and she glanced at me, flustered. "Karim..." she began, her voice soft, almost pleading.