Her eyes narrowed. “Unnecessary.”
“Sure. That why your knees are still shaking?”
“God, you’re full of yourself.”
“Can’t help it if I’m right.” I slowly got to my feet.
She made a low sound in her throat — half growl, half exhale — and crossed her arms, clearly trying to composeherself. When she looked at me again, her mask was back in place and all traces of softness had disappeared.
“So, what is this?” she asked flatly.
I tilted my head, pretending to think. “This? Dunno. Thought it was pretty self-explanatory.”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“Not playing. We’re two adults who got carried away. It happens.”
Her jaw clenched, but I caught the flicker of uncertainty behind her eyes — the kind saying she wasn’t sure whether to walk away or do it again.
“So we’re just … ignoring it?”
“Didn’t say that.” I stepped closer, slow enough to give her time to decide whether to move away. She didn’t. “I’m saying we don’t have to make it complicated. No strings, no drama.”
She gave a short, humorless laugh. “You make it sound easy.”
“Maybe it can be,” I mused. “You’re not looking for anything. Neither am I. You’ve got your fights, your training, your jobs. I’ve got ball, classes, and a countdown till I go home. Makes sense to keep it simple.”
Tori studied me for a long beat, eyes flicking over my face like she was trying to find a crack in the calm. “You’re really that laid-back about it?”
I shrugged. “I’m not the one overthinking it.”
“Wow,” she said, dryly. “You’re insufferable.”
“Yeah, but you still came all over my face.”
She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes going wide. The silence stretched out, humming with leftover adrenaline and something else that didn’t exactly feel like regret.
Finally, she sighed. “You’re leaving in less than a year.”
“Yep.”
“So this has an expiration date.”
“Everything does.”
Her lips twitched like she wanted to argue but didn’t. She rolled her eyes instead, muttering, “Friends with benefits, then?”
“More like neighbors with poor impulse control.” I winked. “What about … um, the … logistics, I suppose?”
“Logistics?” Tori tilted her head to one side, her brows furrowed.
I cleared my throat. “Yeah, I mean, we, uh, should probably … well, wrap it up, right?”
Tori snorted, then studied me with narrowed eyes. “You planning on fucking anyone else during thisarrangement?”
“Are you taking the piss?” I gaped at her.
“Excuse me, what?”
