His smile made her want to trust him; her memories made her shy away. She compromised by giving him a grave nod and eating his food. He was a pretty good cook — but then if he lived alone she supposed he’d have to be, or starve. And he obviously didn’t starve. She made herself eat slowly, keeping an eye on him all the while.
When she finished, she took her plate to the sink and rinsed it off, obeying some old habit, before turning to look at Derek again. Now would he let her leave?
Derek ate his own food, trying to not notice how she was staring at him the whole time. She obviously didn’t trust him, which he couldn’t understand. He hadn’t done anything that wasn’t trustworthy. She finished before him and he watched as she went to the sink, his eyebrows furrowing when she looked at him. “What?” he asked, standing up. “Is there something you want to ask me?”
It might not be safe here, but it was safer. She would live with that. So after a long moment, she nodded. It took another long moment for her to remember where she’d left the notepad and pencil. ‘am I staying with you?’ A yawn caught her off-guard.