Her blush spread all the way to her ears. "Nathaniel Nathan, stop messing around!" she whispered.
Nathaniel Nathan looked into her eyes. "Do I look like I'm messing around?"
Vera Xavier: "..."
'He totally is! Every fiber of his being is messing around right now!'
She took a deep breath, but Nathaniel spoke again. "Say what you just said one more time."
Vera looked at his face, an expression of cold, restrained intensity. 'He might look all stoic and proper,' she thought, 'but he's a total beast!'
The fear she had been suppressing surged up again, churning inside her. She took another deep breath, her eyes welling with tears as she looked at him. "Nathaniel Nathan, you're bullying me!"
There was nothing Nathaniel loathed more than a woman's tears, but the sight of her crying made his heart ache. He was at a complete loss, yet he still managed to say with a stern face, "Don't cry!"
