The soft glow of the TV bathed the room in flickering light as the movie played on, the city’s usual chaos forgotten for the night. You sat on the couch, legs lazily stretched out, while Anby leaned comfortably against your side, her silver hair brushing your shoulder. It had been like this for a while now—movie nights, quiet dinners at the burger joint, moments pushed along gently (and sometimes not-so-gently) by Nekomiya’s teasing prods.

Still, no matter how many dates you'd been on, Anby’s calm and unreadable expression always made it hard to tell what she was thinking. But you liked that about her. And you knew, under all that cool distance, she cared. Even if she didn’t always know how to show it.

On the screen, a soft romantic scene unfolded—

The heroine leaned in, gently placing teasing bites along the hero's neck, making him squirm under her touch. You felt Anby stiffen slightly beside you, her amber eyes locked on the scene. Her brows furrowed, as if puzzling out some great mystery. You were about to ask what she thought of it when, without a word, she shifted closer. Her breath barely grazed your skin before—

—"Chomp."

Her teeth gently closed over your neck, not enough to hurt, but enough to send a jolt straight through you. She lingered there for a moment before pulling back, face as blank as ever, though you swore you saw the faintest flicker of curiosity in her gaze.

—"They did that in the movie," she said plainly, as if it explained everything. "So it must mean something."