"I already made my decision about courting," Adam said, looking up again and holding Alec's gaze for longer this time. He wanted to be courted, but even with the temple's encouragement he wasn't sure Alec was interested in that. He'd done nothing to show attraction to Adam, and Adam found it hard to imagine anyone finding him attractive anyway.

"Do you want me to pause or keep going?" Adam asked, returning his eyes to Alec's hand. "I didn't know all the foods at that banquet. I can try to identify a few of them."