Pari remained silent long enough for the silence to grow a little colder. She didn't mean for it to, but... she hadn't expected him to ask her out. And how could she accept? "We can have more good times together." she said. "Like this. If you want. But dates and things, it... I don't think it's a good idea."

"What's the worst thing that could happen?" He asked, trying to swallow down the sting by reminding himself it wasn't an outright rejection.

"I could end up engaged again." she replied, trying to keep her voice light. I could lose it all again. And she'd learned her lesson this time.

Feo sighed, pensive. "We wouldn't want that."

"You wouldn't be happy," she added; he had to know that he didn't want this. "I'm still a princess, Feo, and you hate it when people pay attention to you. And you work for Mirza, you're not supposed to be in the public eye. So where could it go?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "All I know is that I can't stop thinking about you. Maybe I'm going crazy, but it all just seems... worth it."

"You can't stop thinking about me?" Pari repeated slowly. "... do you think that's the mind control stuff?"

He turned to look at her. "What? No, not at all."

Pari shrugged a little. "It could be. I don't even know if when I'm talking to you, I'm actually hearing what you think or if..." she was hearing what she wanted him to say. But putting that out there, saying it out loud, sent a jolt of terror down her spine. That was always the question, wasn't it? If, when she talked to anyone, they were just parroting her own feelings back to her.

He was quiet for a moment, then piped up, "What I'm hearing is you did want me to ask you out."