"Father, this is the boy I like."
Noel blinked.
'What?'
He turned to Elyra in disbelief, but she just stood there calmly, a slight smile on her face like she hadn't just thrown him to the wolves.
Her father's eyes narrowed, his broad figure frozen for a second. Then, he let out a sigh—half annoyed, half relieved—and pulled Elyra into a tight hug.
"It's about time you brought someone home."
While Elyra's face was buried against her father's chest, unable to see anything, the man raised one thick arm behind her back and pointed two fingers at Noel... then slowly dragged them across his own neck.
Noel kept a straight face, though a small twitch betrayed him.
'Really? That's what you open with? Not "he's a friend," or "he helped me"? No. Just—that.'
The man finally released his daughter and stepped back, his expression shifting into a practiced calm.
"You must be tired after your journey."
