“I’m a charming fuck up.”
“Like a cactus.” Noah’s voice was gentle despite the snide remark. “But seriously. After everything you told me—”
“Can we not?” Kaj cut him off, rolling onto his back and turning his face to him. “I lived through it once, relived it last night for the third time in my life by telling you. Don’t feel like going for another round, honestly.”
Noah propped himself up on an elbow, dark strands falling over his forehead in a way that made Kaj’s stomach flip. “That’s not what I—”
“I know.” Kaj sighed, brushing away that stubborn lock of Noah’s hair that always fell over his eyes no matter what you did. “I know you’re just checking on me, making sure I’m still in one piece after spilling my tragic backstory. Being a good boyfriend. It’s disgusting, really.”
A grin tugged Noah’s lips. “Absolutely revolting.”
“The worst.”
“You just called me your boyfriend, though,” Noah teased.
Kaj rolled his eyes. He’d hoped Noah would let that one go, but of course, he didn’t. “I mean, you cause as many migraines as erections. Plus, we’ve been chilling and fucking exclusively for a couple of months now. Not to mention you said ‘I love you’ yesterday.”
“You said it back.” Noah’s grin widened.
“I did.” Something warm bloomed deep in Kaj’s chest, hatching among the burned remains of what they’d been in the past, as he smiled back. “Are you going to bring me breakfast in bed or some other horrific display of affection now?”
“Actually, I was thinking we could get up and make it together. That way, when you inevitably burn a toast, I can mock you mercilessly. There, balance restored.”
Kaj snorted, cupping the back of Noah’s neck and pulling him down to kiss that fucking mouth that drove him mad.
He was so grateful, not only for having Noah back in his life like this, but for his ability to read him and know when to push and when to step back. A lesson he’d probably learned from his cats, since they were as unpredictable as Kaj and all.
“Fine,” Kaj grumbled against Noah’s lips, feeling like staying here a little longer and tasting him instead.
Noah kissed him back languidly, fingers digging into the flesh of his hip.
“Come on,” he said when he pulled away. “I’m starving, and you need a caffeine dose. Don’t want you committing a homicide before noon.” He rolled off the bed and walked out of the room wearing nothing but his trunks.
Admittedly, Kaj was hungry, too.
Groaning dramatically because he didn’t want to get out of bed, Kaj followed Noah.
The kitchen was bathed in morning light, streaming through the large windows that overlooked the street. Save for the ridiculous amount of books, music albums, and action figures he owned, everything in Noah’s space was minimalist and organized—stainless steel appliances, white countertops over light wooden cabinets, a stark contrast to Kaj's penthouse’s darker decoration.
“Coffee first,” Kaj demanded, hoisting himself onto one of the stools at the kitchen island while Noah moved around with practiced efficiency.
“Bossy,” Noah quipped, but he was already reaching for the mugs when the coffee machine buzzed to life.
Kaj watched Noah’s back, the way his shoulder blades and every muscle on it flexed and relaxed beneath his tattooed skin as he prepared their breakfast. Though maybe he should be thinking more about brunch since it was well past eleven.
Letting out a sigh, Kaj propped his chin on a palm, his eyes never leaving the living masterpiece in front of him. There was something mesmerizing about his ridiculously hot ass swamped in the domesticity of the atmosphere. Kaj never thought he’d experience this again, especially not with Noah.
“I was thinking eggs,” Noah said over his shoulder. “You still like them over-easy?”
“You remember that?”
“I remember everything about you.”
Unsure how to respond, Kaj swallowed hard as Noah went back to cooking for them.
He knew this moment was nothing but the culmination of this weird, acrobatic dance they’d been doing for months—years—around each other. Around the piled-up frustration, the anger, the resentment, and everything they weren’t brave enough to say before. But, as surreal as it sounded, Kaj had always known Noah was the one for him. His other half. The best part of him.
Whatever came later, they’d figure it out together.
