CASSIAN
I walked up and took the cigarette from between his fingers. I didn't ask. I just took a drag and handed it back.
Julian watched me, a little half-smile pulling at his mouth. "You don't smoke," he said.
"I do now, apparently," I replied. "Your family is exhausting."
"They're not my family," he said.
"Marceli talks about you like you are."
Something flickered in his eyes. It wasn't simple. "He talks about you like you're the crown prince," Julian said. He tried to say it lightly, but the weight was there.
The quiet settled over us. We could hear the muffled noise of the party inside, but out here, the air was cool. Julian looked at me sideways.
"You looked good in there," he said. "At the table. You looked like you belonged."
"Don't say that," I snapped.
"I'm just saying—"
"I know what you're saying. Don't."
