After a brief prayer of thanks, silence settled over us. Tashi began eating right away while I lazily twisted the angel hair pasta around my fork…wondering if maybe she’d laced the noodles with some shit to kill me.

I looked up and caught her staring at me with an expression so sweet that I instantly became mesmerized.

Something was definitely up.

Dropping my fork, I leaned back against the chair just as her laughter filled the air.

“Is it so hard to believe that I just wanted to call a truce and do something nice for my man?”

“No…it’s not.” I searched her eyes for signs of duplicity. Finding none, I relaxed and brought her hand to my lips, kissing each finger. “I appreciate that…and you.”

“Then, why aren’t you eating?”

Before I could respond, she tilted her head and observed me until her eyes brightened with awareness. Releasing her hand, I picked up my fork to continue toying with the pasta on my plate.

“Seriously, Quincy?”

I shrugged. “Can’t say it didn’t cross my mind.”

She raised a brow, clearly amused. “You really think I’m that crazy?”

“If I really believed that,” I replied, looking up to catch her eyes. “We wouldn’t be together.”

Holding her gaze, I finally lifted the forkful of tightly-wound pasta to my mouth and took my first bite. I couldn’t disguise my pleasure…it was delicious.

Reaching over to my plate, Tashi stabbed a succulent shrimp with her butter knife, stuck it in her mouth…and smiled.