[ she likes to see him surprised sometimes, she thinks, if only because it lets some of his usual bravado slip away into a more genuine piece of peter — startled as that may be at the moment. she lets him stumble through for a while, but when he stops in the middle of asking, she tilts her head slightly, still considering him. ]

Why should I forget it?

[ she smooths her fingers over the bandage again, then lets her hands fall back into her lap and the fabric of her dress. ]

I said yes then, and I would have agreed at the festival as well.

It would have made for a better dance than this.

[ she gestures vaguely back to the noises of the party and the music floating through the hall. ]