11

Sebastian's pov

Dinner that evening was a test of my self-control, and if I were being honest, I barely passed. When Penelope casually mentioned that Petal had made the cheese pasta, my first thought was gratitude. She always went out of her way to make sure I had fish, even if it meant cooking something else for herself. The gesture wasn’t new; she had done similar things before. But today, knowing she’d made something specifically for me made me want to kiss her hands, to hold them against my lips and thank her for every small thing she did. But I couldn’t. Not here, not now. Not when everyone else was around. Instead, I forced myself to utter a simple, “It’s delicious.”