His new addiction

Micheal appeared relaxed, as if enjoying his own movie playing out in the form of Yvonne's expressions. Her laughter was electric, sending a jolt of energy straight to his soul.

But appearances can be deceiving. Micheal was anything but relaxed. His thoughts raced—about Yvonne, about David, about the delicate balance he needed to maintain tonight. He had promised himself to keep things light, to enjoy the evening without overthinking it. But now that they were here, he couldn’t ignore the weight of the situation.

It was spiraling out of his control. Yvonne’s presence was affecting him more than he had anticipated. He had been right to keep his distance all along; spending too much time with her was clearly not a good idea.

About halfway through the movie, a particularly sad scene caused Yvonne’s expression to drop. It was the first time Micheal tore his eyes away from her, forcing himself to focus on the screen instead.

From then on, he willed himself not to look back at her. He didn’