“I needed to be up for the open call. Today, I can laze around. Shit. You probably want to do stuff in here, don’t you? Sorry. I promised you wouldn’t even realise I was here, but I’m hogging your sofa.”
I laughed. “You’re fine. Or you would be. But we have places to be and people to see.”
“We do?”
“Yes.”
“What places and which people?”
I grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter and bit into it. “You’ll see. Go and get dressed.”
Jae’s brow crumpled, but he pushed the quilt aside nonetheless. He was wearing a short grey pyjama set with a furry panda on the front. Between the pyjamas and his bed hair, he looked adorable. As he strode past me, I had an urge to catch him in my arms and press my lips to his. I looked away from him abruptly. He was my houseguest. Not some conquest I could claim.
Once I heard the shower running, I busied myself making breakfast—a protein shake for me and muesli for Jae. I didn’t add milk, as I didn’t want the cereal to be too soggy, and I wasn’t sure how long he would be. Mum had only worn make-up on special occasions, and neither Dillon nor I was interested in it. In short, I had no clue how long it took someone to get ready if they had to shower, put on make-up, and get dressed.
“I didn’t know what to wear,” Jae said as he reappeared a while later. “So I went with casual.”
I stared at him, unable to even squeak out a word. He looked stunning in an ombré top that went from sky blue at the shoulders to white at the hem and turned-up, distressed jeans, which showed his ankles off. His hair was carefully styled, and he had delicate, not-quite-natural make-up on, accentuating his dark eyes and plump lips.
His brow furrowed. “Xander?”
I snapped my mouth shut and shook my head. “You look great.”
He smiled coyly. “Thank you.”
“Breakfast?” I added milk to the muesli, dropped in a spoon, and pushed the bowl to the other side of the breakfast bar before pouring him fresh orange juice.
Jae hopped onto one of the stools. “I could get used to this.”
“To what?”
“Having breakfast made for me every morning by—” He faltered, making a strangled noise instead of finishing his sentence. His cheeks became rosy beneath his subtle blusher, and he smiled sweetly. “By someone.”
I wanted to know what he’d initially been going to say, but I didn’t want to embarrass him by pushing the issue.
“Where are we going?” Jae batted his eyelashes innocently.
“Nice try, but it’s a surprise.”
He pouted, which made my breath catch in my throat.
I chugged the protein shake and checked my watch. “We’d better go, or we’ll be late.”
Jae arched an eyebrow. “Late? What for?”
I wagged my finger at him. “You’re not going to catch me out. You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Do I need anything?”
“Nope. Just yourself.”
I took his empty bowl and cup and put them in the sink to wash later. After I grabbed my keys and coat, we left the apartment and walked to the tube station. I remembered I needed to go slower than my usual pace, as Jae wasn’t used to the London rush.
A couple of tube rides later, we arrived at Old Street tube station and walked the rest of the way to a yellow brick building with black-framed windows and doors. It was home to several businesses. Thankfully, the name of the company we were going to didn’t give away what it was. After chatting to the receptionist, we were allowed to venture to the second floor.
A bubbly middle-aged woman met us as we got off the lift. “Xander! You look well.” She kissed me on both cheeks. “And who is your gorgeous friend?”
“Jae.” I motioned to him. “Meet Maddison.”
