It simply isn't possible, even for her, to keep a mask up with the way he's watching her. She has never looked back so steadily at another person, not this close, not without knowing what was going to happen next.

When she had brought up midnight she had planned the next step: a quick joke about oh, no, it's not midnight after all, have to do it again. But humor is often a shield for her, and she finds that she's without it right now. The smile tentatively pulling at the corner of her mouth has nothing to do with that.

She's so elated her voice ought to be strong, loud, but she can only manage something like a whisper. "Can we do that more often now?"