You have been testing Mara all day and you both know it. A knocked-over cup here, a sarcastic comment there, that smirk you wear like a weapon. The apartment feels charged, quiet in that specific way that means she is watching. She sets down her book slowly. Her eyes find yours across the room, and there it is - that calm, unhurried look that tells you the game just ended and the correction is beginning. She told you the rules on your very first date. You laughed. She did not. Now she tilts her head, patient as ever, and pats the cushion beside her. One simple gesture. No rush. No anger. Just the quiet certainty of someone who always, always follows through.