The way he says my name makes me stop. Firm. Almost commanding.
"I'm fine."
"You're exhausted. You barely ate this morning; you had nothing for lunch. Sit down." He pulls out a chair at the small table.
I want to tell him he doesn't get to order me around in my own home. Instead, I sit.
He moves carefully, pulling things from my fridge that I didn't even know I had. Cheese. Bread. Some leftover soup. Within minutes, there's food in front of me.
"Eat," he says again, sitting across from me and eating his own portion.
It's good. Simple but warm. I didn't realize how hungry I was until the first bite.
"Better?" he asks when I'm halfway through.
"Yes."
"Good."
He continues to eat while he watches me. Like he's making sure I actually finish.
"You're very bossy for a guest," I say.
He snorts out a laugh. "You're very stubborn for someone who needs help."
"I don't need—"
"Yes.” His voice has taken on that firm quality again that makes me want to fight back and roll over in equal measure. “You do."
I set down my spoon. "And what do you get out of this? Out of helping me?"
His eyes hold mine. "I told you. I owe you. Or maybe I just want to."
"Nobodyjustwants to help. Not without expecting something in return."
"Then consider it payment. For saving my life."
"That's not—"
He cuts me off. "It is."
The certainty in his voice silences me. This man who I've known for three days, who I should be afraid of, who should be a danger to everything I've built. But when I look at him across my kitchen table, all I feel is a pull. Something magnetic and terrifying and impossible to ignore.
"I don't understand you," I say quietly.
He grins, and I swear it’s devastating. "You don't have to. Not yet."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I blush when it comes out as a whisper, telling myself to get a grip.
"It means we have time."
"Your week is already half over."
His mouth curves. That almost-smile again. "Then I'll have to make the most of it."
He stands, slowly, carefully crossing to where I'm sitting. He doesn't touch me, but he's close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his skin.
"You're not alone anymore, Lily," he says quietly. "Whether you want to be or not."
