“Alex doesn’t let people in,” he sobered. “I mean really in. She’s got maybe three people in the world she trusts completely, and I’m lucky enough to be one of them.” He took another sip of coffee, never breaking eye contact. “She’s been hurt by men who made her believe she was too much of everything. Too smart, too successful, too demanding, too difficult, toobig.”
“I don’t think she’s—”
“I know you don’t,” Enzo’s voice stayed level, but there was steel underneath. “I see how you look at her. Like she’s a force you want to understand instead of stopping. But here’s the thing,Finnigan Walker.”
My body instinctively snapped to attention.
“My sister has spent her entire life being told she needs to besmaller to be lovable. To be less while doing more to fit someone else’s standard. And right now, for the first time maybe ever, she’s letting someone else see her without all the armor,” he gestured toward the hallway where Alex’s room was. “I don’t know if this fake dating thing is going to stay fake. Honestly, I hope it doesn’t. But either way, if you hurt her, if you make her feel like she has to shrink any part of herself to keep you interested, I will make your life very,veryunpleasant.”
The threat was delivered with the same tone he’d used to explain coffee ratios, which somehow made it more unsettling.
“And before you go all alpha male and tell me she can handle herself,” he continued, “of course she can. Alex could run circles around both of us and not even break a sweat. But that doesn’t mean she should have to. She shouldn’t need to protect herself from the people she trusts.”
I absorbed this, turning the coffee mug in my hands. The ceramic was warm against my palms, grounding.
“I’m not going to hurt her,” I said finally, reverently.
“Not on purpose,” Enzo agreed, “but hurt happens anyway sometimes. What matters is what you do when it does.”
He pushed off from the counter and moved to the refrigerator, pulling out eggs and what looked like leftover vegetables. “Alex likes scrambled eggs with whatever leftovers are handy. She’ll say she’s fine with just coffee, but she needs to eat or she’ll crash around ten-thirty and spend the rest of the day running on caffeine and spite. Godzilla himself would be terrified.Do notuse spinach though. Or peppers. She probably only mentioned hating tomatoes. That’s just because it’s the easy one to explain.”
The domestic details hit me sideways—another layer of care I’d never considered. How many people knew these small necessities that kept Alex functioning?
“Why are you telling me all this?”
Enzo cracked eggs into a bowl with careful efficiency. “Because I’ve never seen her look so rested. And because shesmiled at her phone the other day when you texted her, and Alex doesn’t smile at her phone. Ever.” He whisked the eggs with quick strokes. “And because fake or not, you’re both going to be around each other more for the next little while. Might as well learn how to take care of her properly.”
He glanced at me sideways. “Plus, I have a feeling this whole fake dating thing is going to get very real very fast, and I want you prepared when it does.”
Chapter 12
Advanced Acting Techniques for the Romantically Impaired
Alex
I closed my bedroom door and leaned against it, Enzo’squestion still echoing in my ears.“When you woke up this morning in his arms, were you happy?”
My reflection in the bathroom mirror looked softer than usual. My hair was still mussed from sleep, skin flushed, eyes bright in a way that I’d not seen in myself in a very long time. If I was being honest, I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen the woman looking back at me. I looked like someone who’d been thoroughly held, thoroughly cared for. Someone who’d slept deeply for the first time in months.
I set the shower to the exact temperature I needed and began my morning ritual. Steam slowly started to build and when I stepped under the spray, the water pressure was just right. Everything in this space was designed for my comfort, my preferences, my peace. But this morning, the solitude felt different. Less like sanctuary and more like... absence.
I worked shampoo through my hair and washed it out. Conditioner sat while I scrubbed the rest of my skin and rinsed everything, finally turning the temperature down to stand under the cooler spray for a minute or two. I stepped out onto the heavy bathmat and reached for my oversized towel. Wrapping it around my body, I couldn’t help but think about the way Finn had held me. He didn’t keep most of his body away, only using his arms, and his touch wasn’t timid or light. He’d properly held me, as if doing so brought him comfort too. If that was what it was like to be held by someone who was practiced in physical touch and affection, I wanted nothing else.
I dried my hair before smoothing it into a low chignon. Contacts in, I applied eyeliner, mascara, tinted lip gloss. My holy trinity of make-up I could stand to have on my face all day. I was lucky I’d never experienced bad acne, and my skin tone was mostly even, save the light freckles splashed across my cheeks and nose. The mirror reflected someone else now. Professional Alex, ready to be a responsible grown up and help run a company. To do whatever it took to keep it safe.
I attached gold hoops to my ears as I went to my closet next. I was bringing someone into my professional world, and I was nervous. Deep down I knew I didn’t need to, but I still wanted to impress Finn. I needed to look like the leader I was without the additional discomfort of the wrong shape or fabric texture. I settled on a generously cut silky blouse in acidic lime, with short sleeves and deep v-neck, pairing it with muted emerald slim-cut trousers cropped just above my ankles. I tucked the blouse in and finished it off with a leopard print belt. I slipped on a pair of cognac-colored leather clogs with an ankle strap and slight wedge heel. They were comfortable, stylish, and helped me stand just a little taller.
I grabbed Finn’s white sneakers and headed down the hall, the scent of eggs and coffee growing stronger with each step.
“There she is,” Enzo announced as I entered the kitchen, plate of scrambled eggs with peas and shallots in hand. “Ready to take on the world?”
Finn stood nearby, back ramrod straight, holding a tall glass of iced coffee. His eyes tracked over my transformation, taking in every detail. When his gaze met mine, something shifted in his expression, and he relaxed.
“You look great,” he smiled.
“Thanks,” I accepted the coffee, cheeks warming as I traded him his shoes. My coffee was the exact right color, condensation already beading on the glass and metal straw. “This is perfection. Did Enzo teach you?”
“Guilty,” Enzo raised his hand. “Though he was a very attentive student.”
