Talk about an awkward conversation. Shizuka wasn't accustomed to discussing things like this, especially with boys; usually when she poured her heart out, it was with her girlfriends, like Anzu, on the occasions when her mask slipped and it became evident that no, everything was not all right. She didn't want to make a big deal out of anything and blow this entire thing out of proportion, or make it seem as if she were some ditzy girl fishing for compliments.
"I'm just not used to hearing it. That's all."
Flimsy excuse, but it was the best she could muster on such short notice. She should have kept her mouth shut to begin with, just say 'thank you' and move on, count her lucky stars that someone like Killian had even deigned to call her beautiful. Indeed, her cheeks reddened further, wondering what she'd done right to deserve this.
She lifted her gaze to see that he was still studying her, and stared back wonderingly. Killian's eyes were a terribly pretty blue, reminiscent of the ocean he loved so dearly - if she was being poetic, anyway - and he certainly did not appear to be hundreds of years old. In fact, if she had to take a guess, she'd say he was hardly ten years older than her, tops, and only that because he wasn't smiling; his grin knocked a good five years off her estimate.
Shyness kicked in, but Shizuka forced herself not to look away, though she wanted to terribly.