"I don't feel like eating this today. You should have it yourself, Dr. Shaw."
Laura kept calling him "Dr. Shaw," her voice cool and polite.
Aiden Shaw just smiled good-naturedly. He stepped aside, clearing a path for her. "Then what would you like to eat?"
"You don't need to trouble yourself, Dr. Shaw. I'll just go out and get a bite to eat on my own."
"I'll go with you."
Aiden Shaw took her small, fair hand in his, their fingers lacing together tightly.
Laura frowned, tilting her head up to look at him. "Dr. Shaw, I don't want to hold your hand, and I don't want to eat with you."
"But I want to. I really, really, *really* want to…"
The two or three days she'd given him the cold shoulder felt like an eternity to Aiden Shaw.
"You're so annoying."
Laura said it in a pout, but she stopped struggling and let Aiden hold her hand.
