Chapter 274. Ashton’s Diaries

LEE

“I’ll just step out for a bit. Gonna have a smoke,” Chace said, holding up his pack of cigarettes as if to explain. Without waiting for much of a response, he headed outside, leaving Zac and me alone at the dining table, sitting awkwardly across from each other.

Earlier, I found Zac’s nervous glances amusing—how he kept avoiding eye contact—but now that it was just the two of us, the awkwardness settled in, heavy and undeniable.

Since we were both done eating, I stood up and started clearing my plate. “Are you finished too?” I asked him, breaking the silence.

He hadn’t answered yet, so I added with a teasing smile, “You can go for a second round, you know. There’s still a lot of food—don’t be shy.” I let out a small laugh to ease the tension, and he chuckled in response.

“Nah, I’m stuffed,” he said.

After that, Zac began helping me clean up. I told him he didn’t have to, insisting I could handle it on my own, but he refused to back down