?


    "Sure," I answered, managing a polite smile.


    She sat down beside me, her shoulder brushing mine. "You don''t look so good," she said. Everything okay?"


    I sighed, rubbing a gloved hand over my face. "I''m fine."


    "Are you lying?" she prodded gently, her eyes searching mine.


    Realizing that there was no backing out of this, I finally shrugged. "Alright, you got me. Nina and I had a... disagreementst night. Over something you said at dinner, actually."


    "Oh." Her face flushed slightly. "What did I say?"


    *Nothing, really," I said, trying to keep my tone neutral. "It''s just.. When you asked how we met, she seemed so hesitant. And it''s made me realize.. Maybe there are things that I didn''t realize about our rtionship."


    M cocked her head so that her hair fell into her eye. "What do you mean?"


    *I think she might be embarrassed by how we met," I said. "And I can''t help but wonder if she''s a little embarrassed of me, too."


    *Embarrassed?" M looked genuinely shocked, but there was something else behind her eyes, something I couldn''t quite read. "Why would she be? You''re like the epitome of the ideal man, Enzo."


    I shook my head. "It''s not that simple, M. We''re newlyweds, expecting our first child. It''s a lot."


    "Newlyweds? How long have you two been together?"


    "Including dating? A little under a year."


    Her eyes widened. "A year? And you''re married? With a baby on the way?"


    Now, it was my turn to be taken aback. "Yeah, What''s so surprising about that?"


    She hesitated, biting her lip as if weighing her words. "Don''t you think it''s a bit... rushed? You barely know each other."


    "I know it might seem that way to you," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I couldn''t exactly tell her about being fated mates, how the bond between Nina and me was destined." But when you know, you know. You know?


    *Yeah, but knowing doesn''t mean jumping into things." Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me, a mixture of concern and something else in her gaze. "You didn''t get to live your lives as a couple first, to really explore each other without the responsibilities. Isn''t that a bit saD?"


    Her words stabbed at me, pricking at something that I hadn''t thought of before. She wasn''t right... was she? "But we love each other," I said, maybe a little more softly than I intended." "Love is great, but it''s not a magic fix all for your problems, Enzo," she said.


    I nched slightly. The concept of marrying your fated mate this early on wasn''t unheard of in my world, but... Maybe it was a little too fast for the human world. "Are you saying we''re destined to fail?" I asked.


    "No, I didn''t say that," she said softly, her hand finding my arm. "But maybe you should take some time, just the two of you, before this new chapter in your lives starts. You''re still so young."


    I stared at her, my thoughts swirling in turmoil.


    Was she right? Had we rushed into things? Nina and I hadn''t dated like ''normal'' couples. We hadn''t gone through all of the ups and downs of a typical rtionship because we had been too focused on surviving.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    We had dived headfirst into marriage and now into family life, guided by the unshakable belief that we were fated to be together. But what if that wasn''t enough? What if, years down the line, we looked back and regretted not giving ourselves the time to just be young and in love?


    I nced at the clock, almost time to get back on the ice. "I have to go. Thanks for the talk, M."


    "Do you think any differently now?" she asked as I stood up.


    "I don''t know," I admitted. "But you have given me something to think about."


    She nodded, offering a small smile that didn''t quite reach her eyes. There was something else in her gaze, something that I really couldn''t read this time. It wasn''t... hope, was it?


    "Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me," she said, her voice low and husky.


    "Sure," I muttered, walking away, my mind a chum of thoughts and questions I had no answers for.


    For the first time since I met Nina, a seed of doubt had been nted in my mind, and I didn''t know what to make of the unsettling feelings sprouting from it.