CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY WHEN THE DAWN BEGAN

DAPHNE'S POV “Oh, come on!” he protested, laughing. “I thought it had a certain ‘earthy’ charm.” “‘Earthy’ is one word for it,” I said, setting the cup down. “How about we go get some proper tea, and I’ll show you how it’s done?” We ended up taking a long walk to our favorite tea shop, laughing and teasing each other the entire way. Those were the days when everything felt light and easy, like we could conquer the world with just each other’s company. Another memory flashed in my mind—one of the many nights we spent dancing in our living room. It was a silly dance, really. We were both in our pajamas, and Javion had put on some old vinyl records he’d found in the attic. “Who knew you had such impressive dance moves?” I said, struggling to keep up with his ridiculous spins and twirls. “Well, I might be a bit of a dancing fool,” he admitted with a laugh, “but it’s all for you.” We were both laughing so hard that I nearly tripped over my own feet. At one point, he accidentally s