SLOW HANDS

Chloe's frustration cuts through the tension as she confronts Timothy. His cold indifference since her arrival cuts deeper than any apology could heal. Every frown when her name surfaces, every icy word—it's a rejection she can't ignore. "Am I really that vile?" she demands, watching him clench his jaw and retreat into silence.

Despite her anger, Timothy's presence overwhelms her senses. His rough, masculine scent intoxicates her in ways that confuse and unsettle her. She notices everything about him—the hard lines of his face, the cynical edge that's only grown sharper. This isn't the best friend she once knew. Somewhere between then and now, Timothy Kavell-Packard transformed into someone unrecognizable, someone who seems to despise her.

Standing outside, Chloe desperately searches his expression for a trace of their former connection. Those endless conversations, the effortless intimacy they once shared—it all feels impossibly distant now. She'd accepted his parents' dinner invitation clutching a fragile hope that they could rebuild what shattered between them. Now that hope crumbles as she realizes the painful truth: the Tim she loved is gone, replaced by a harder, colder stranger. Coming here was a mistake she's only now beginning to acknowledge.