"you didn't realize? it was all a bet."

the words fell from his lips with unsettling casualness, leaving you momentarily stunned. his gaze bore into you, devoid of the warmth you had grown accustomed to since you started talking.

"i thought you got the hint. sorry, didn't know you were so dense!" he chuckled, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if the importance of the revelation weighed nothing to him.