Cedric blinked at that, as if snapping out of a trance, and quickly averted his gaze. "Sorry," he mutters, eyes now on his food as he blindly reaches for his cutlery and awkwardly starts poking at his food.
Marisol let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and tried to go back to her food. But awkwardness lingers between them now, filling the air with palpable tension.
Marisol tried to ignore it, but it became so suffocating that she breathed out a heavy sigh, glancing up to find Cedric still poking at his food, his brows furrowed as if deep in thought. "Is something wrong with your food?" she finally gets out, unable to bear the stiff silence for a second longer.
Cedric's eyes snapped up at that, his expression caught somewhere between surprise and irritation. "No, it's fine," he replied curtly, before pushing his plate away with a sigh, looking towards the door and back at the table as if contemplating.
Marisol frowned, now convinced that there was something more going on beneath the surface. She wanted to push him for answers, to break through the walls he had erected around him, but she held back, not wanting to push him too far.
Instead, she changed her approach, deciding to engage him in conversation. "So, where did you disappear during the day?" she asked, making a show of being engrossed in her food even though she desperately prayed and hoped he would take the bait and not go ahead with his obvious plans of leaving.
Cedric looked surprised by her question, his posture relaxing slightly as he crossed his arms over his chest, chin raising as he asked, "Did you come looking for me?"
Marisol's lips pulled into a smirk, "What do you think?" she replied coyly.
Cedric shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of his own lips. "I was at a meeting with the council," he admitted, his expression growing more serious as he continued, "They're considering reinstating me as Alpha, but I declined. I know I'm not stable enough to go back to that yet, and I suspect there are spies among the Council members."
Marisol nodded in understanding, absorbing his words. It made sense that there would be those who sought to undermine him, especially given the recent turmoil within the pack. "It's probably for the best," she remarks "We need time to figure you out."
Cedric nodded in agreement and picked up his fork again, Marisol did a small victory dance on her head before Cedric's ears perked up in realization, and he raised his eyes to meet hers before asking quietly. "We?"
Marisol resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Yes, we. I just told you I was out and about, didn't I? You've been going on and on about keeping our end of the bargain. Are you backing out now?" Marisol watched as his nose scrunched up as he smiled, shaking his head in reply to her words.
She knew she had accepted the offer to help each other out on a whim, but she'd never expected it would mean watching Cedric let out a genuine smile, albeit hidden. She also hadn't expected him to be so candid about his dealings with the council.
So, ignoring the way the tug of his lips tugged at her heart, Marisol swung back into conversation mode. "And spies?" she asked, "What about that?"
Cedric nodded, humming. "Yes, spies. They're everywhere, watching our every move and relating it back to Guinevere."
Marisol made a small noise of understanding, but it looked like Cedric missed that as he took a mouthful of food, causing her mouth to water, her body attuned to him. For some reason, Marisol finds herself staring at his plate, wanting a taste of that instead, and maybe him. And did he do something with his hair, or had it always looked this good?
Cedric ended up catching her staring, an amused laughter bubbling out of his throat, "Do you get it now?"
Marisol felt her heart lurch, heat creeping up her cheek as she averted her gaze, stuttering out a small "What?"
"Do you still doubt the authenticity of our bond?" He teased, tone light. "I mean, if this wasn't real, wouldn't it have worn out by now?"
Immediately, Marisol jumped to her feet. Her cheeks flamed hot. "I should get going," she said, not waiting for a reply as she hurried away.
She heard boisterous laughter from behind her as Cedric called, "You're not even done eating!"
Marisol does not reply. All she knew was that she needed to be far from him before she did something stupid.
In the next few days, the dynamic between Marisol and Cedric undergoes a dramatic shift, one that Marisol finds increasingly difficult to ignore.
The suppressed sexual tension that had always simmered beneath the surface between them now resurfaced with a vengeance. Every interaction, every glance, every touch, seemed charged with an intensity that left Marisol feeling breathless and unnerved. She struggled to conceal the turmoil raging within her, loathing herself for the way her body responded to Cedric's presence.
Lingering stares evolved into deliberate, lingering touches, each contact sending a jolt of electricity through Marisol's veins. It was as if every brush of his skin against hers ignited a fire within her, one that burned so deliciously, leaving her yearning for more.
It was in the library one evening that their newfound dynamic reached a breaking point. Marisol had been engrossed in a book, successfully finding something to distract her from the thought of Cedric even for a while, but Marisol should've known a moment of quiet without her every nerve ending and brain cell chanting Cedric's name was too good to be true.
As if summoned, Cedric strolled into the library just about half an hour later. As soon as he entered, Marisol's heart leaped in her chest, her body immediately thrumming with anticipation.