Apparently, Gabe was flirting with her. And she'd been doing her best to flirt back--not that Cath had much experience with those ways. The only other man she'd ever flirted with was Jest. As much as it pained her to think about him, somehow it'd faded from sharp, tearing, icy stabs of regret, remorse, despair, and anger into a dull ache. Something about time and distance and Preya's magic was helping soothe her old injury.
And now there was Gabe. And he had that smile.
She'd been confused about a few things he'd said, so she'd texted the only person she figured would know about these kinds of things. Cath was human, sure, but she wasn't from the same place where Dean and Gabe were from. The customs were all different. She liked it, though. And now that her heart was back in her chest, she could feel it fluttering and growing a bit queasy in the most pleasant of ways.
Cath answered the door after he knocked. She'd dressed nice, but nowhere near the corsets and bustles her mother would have insisted on. Still in a dress, but more suited to Preya's style than the style of Hearts nobility. The smile that lit her face was only different in that it was brighter and more genuine than before her heart.