When Iris set the water glasses down on the table, Cas murmured a quick ‘thank you’ and lifted one to his lips to drink. The cool liquid washed over his tongue and throat pleasantly on its way down, quenching a thirst that he’d been too distracted to notice until now. He hadn’t been paying attention earlier, but it had been hours since he’d last had anything to drink. [color=#b97703][i]Probably not since lunch at noon,[/i][/color] he mused as he tried to do the math in his head. Fortunately, there was a restaurant on the first level of the resort that they could order from almost any time of the day, so they had good food and drinks at their fingertips as long as they stayed in the suite.

[color=#b97703]“Being conventional is overrated anyway,”[/color] he said in reply, setting his water back down to start on his dinner. [color=#b97703]“We may have skipped all sorts of steps, but I’ve never fallen for anyone like I have for you.”[/color] He casted her a fond smile and took a bite of his lukewarm-but-still-good food. While not ideal, going through mutual trauma had a way of drawing two people close together. It felt like they’d been partners for a lot longer than just a few weeks. After they had been on the run together in the districts, he trusted her with his life and was determined to do everything he could to keep her safe too. In a way, he even relied on her more than his own father, whom he had been slowly distancing himself from since he’d gotten back to the capital.

[color=#b97703]“Well that’s good, I think,”[/color] he mused when she said nothing was forgettable when they were together. Truthfully, there were a few moments here and there that he would have liked to erase from his memory, such as the image of the corpses in Bel Bicis that was imprinted on his mind forever. However, when it came to their relationship, he treasured every second. [color=#b97703]“Tonight is definitely one of my favorite moments for us,”[/color] he told her after he swallowed a mouthful of lobster. [color=#b97703]“No crippling amnesia, no rebels trying to kill us, no hospital, and no Miles.”[/color] He laughed at his own joke, taking a sip of his wine. The Spanish red was richly flavored, and he savored it on his tongue.

Her following comment gave him pause though. He didn’t want to think about anything bad happening, but it was impossible to deny that his rebellious move to get away from Atlas could go wrong. He’d never run from the mansion before, so he could have overlooked something important. [color=#b97703]“We’ll be fine,”[/color] he shook his head, trying to reassure her. [color=#b97703]“I booked this room completely anonymously, disconnected every GPS that could have tracked us here and haven’t told a single person where we are. I’m sure there’s no way anyone can find us. We’re safe until I figure out what to do next.”[/color]

When she asked about his food, he glanced up at her again with a half-smile. [color=#b97703]“Mine is good too.”[/color] The ominous feeling of her last comment still lingered inside of him, and he took a breath. He didn’t want to let worries ruin their evening. Even if something happened, there was nothing they could do to prevent it, so there was no sense in stewing over it.

In an attempt to lighten the mood again, he picked up one of the half-shells on his plate and separated the oyster from it with a spoon, then held it out toward Iris. [color=#b97703]“Here, try this. I’ve been told oysters are an aphrodisiac,”[/color] he winked at her playfully. [color=#b97703]“So is red wine and chocolate... Maybe we can order the molten cake I saw on the menu earlier for dessert.”[/color]