[Making people smile is one of those things that he’s recently learned he likes to do. In that other world, he was better at it; he had more practice. But he’s gotten better at it, at least with Riley, someone who rarely smiles in a way that’s soft instead of tense. Those are the smiles that feel rewarding to see.]

No one has ever called me sweet before, Riley. I genuinely don’t know what to make of it. Everyone must have gotten the wrong impression of me over there, and now they’ll be disappointed to find out I’m a bastard.