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By the time I roll in three carts full of room service, things between Fia and I feel more comfortable than ever. For the first time since we solidified our arrangement, I feel like forever with her might actually be within my grasp.

The real kind of forever, not the one I dream of, and she tries to avoid.

In nothing but my oversized airline T-shirt, Fia waits with her legs crossed as I surround her with a buffet of food. With every meal I place on the bed, her eyes grow large, her stomach growling.

A burger is the first to catch her eye. Pulling it to her lap, I watch out of the corner of my eye as she plucks a few fries and moans at the salty taste. I suppress a growl, not wanting to show how jealous I am of a fucking potato. Keeping the rest of the food on the cart, I set two strawberry milkshakes within reaching distance and watch as she slowly decorates the burger to her liking.

“Are you going to sit with me, or just stand and watch?”

Another handful of fries enters her mouth as she groans with pleasure.

“I’m no voyeur, but if you moan like that a few more times, I may consider adding it to my list of preferences.”

Sparkly eyes meet mine, but they leave just as quickly. Fixing a plate of fries for myself, I move so I’m directly in front of her, careful not to topple the plates alongside us.

Tonight has been intimate, but there’s something about this moment in particular that feels the most stripped down.

Dinner in bed, no fancy restaurant or expensive clothing.

Just us.

“You know you don’t have to always order this much food,” Fia mumbles, her mouth full of burger, and I feel warmth creep up my neck. After finding her collapsed today, watching her refuel and regain her energy carries so much more weight.

“I like to give you options.” I shrug.

Grabbing a fry from my plate, I wait for her to swallow before I inch closer. With the potato only inches from her mouth, I breach the line of her pouty lips, watching as they morph into a beautiful ‘O’ shape. Her stare flickers from my chest like she’s waiting for me to say something.

“Open,” I whisper.

When she does, I place the fry in her mouth, and her pleasure-filled moan transcends us to a place only we’re meant to visit.

“Why are you being so nice to me? None of this is part of our agreement,” she asks, heaving a breath, while the hand that just fed her curls the gentle wave of her hair, pushing it behind her ear.

Because you’re my everything.

“I think we’ve breeched the contract of our agreement enough to get rid of it, don’t you?”

“No.”

The fear she always has when it comes to us peeks from beneath the vulnerable shield, one that I thought we removed for the evening.

Forcing us into silence, she takes a few more bites from her burger, almost finishing her side of fries. Taking a handful of mine, I move them from my plate to hers, and she happily accepts.

“How are you feeling?” I ask through bites of my own.

“Better. I should probably get going.”

“You’re not going anywhere tonight,” I say matter-of-factly.

I don’t want her here because I want her in my space all night. I need her here because I have to make sure that after the night she had that she’s okay—that she’s safe.

“Jett, I can’t stay in here. Everyone’s going to wonder where I⁠—”

Her false worry dies when my face scrunches. No matter how much she wants the rest of the crew to be worried about her, the reality is, they’re not.

“What are you doing to yourself, Sofia?”

“I don’t want to talk about this right now.” Her voice wavers.