Fair and square

Cautiously, Zeres just stared at Alicia for an immeasurable amount of time. As she waited for him to speak, Alicia could see the muscles in his jaw repeatedly clenching and unclenching. 

"Okay," he finally sighed, nodding. "You don't have to worry, Alicia. I am not leaving because of the petty reason you're talking about." he told her. His tone was confident and firmer than usual.

Still, Alicia's eyes narrowed, and she leaned closer to him, causing Zeres to immediately take a step back. "Really? That's not the reason?" she questioned, her silver eyes closely observing every minute change in his expression.

When he nodded, Alicia could tell he wasn't lying. However, she didn't back off. "Then, what's the reason? Is this something you really want to do?"