Her face transforms into unfiltered happiness.
"I bought books," she says, fingers resuming their work on her braid. "Medical texts I've been wanting for months. And Lily got this purple dress with stars on it—you should have seen her face, Nico. She looked like Christmas came early."
"Good."
"And Nora and Vittoria..." She pauses, meets my eyes in the mirror. "They made me feel normal. Like I wasn't the housekeeper or the woman in hiding or the problem everyone's trying to fix. Just... a friend. Having a girls' day."
Her voice catches on the last words. I hate that something so simple means so much to her. Hate what that says about her life before.
"It was nice," she finishes softly.
I don't want to ruin this. Don't want to watch that light fade from her eyes.
But I need to know.
"Why didn't you use your card?"
She stiffens. Her fingers fumble the braid. "I did."
"Kristen."
"I bought the books with it. And Lily's clothes."
"You know what I mean."
She sighs, sets down the hair tie, turns to face me fully. The towel shifts with the movement, revealing the delicate line of her collarbone, and I force myself to focus on her face.
"I don't want to use money that isn't mine."
"It is yours."
"No." She shakes her head. "It's yours. You gave it to me, but that doesn't make it mine."
I step closer. She doesn't retreat. "You're with me."
"I know."
"Then what's the problem?" I crowd her against the vanity, hands braced on either side of her hips. "I want you to have whatever you want. Anything. If you need a fucking car, buy one. If you want a house, point at it and it's yours. Why won't you let me give you things?"
Her eyes search my face. Looking for something. I don't know if she finds it.
"Because this is casual," she says quietly. "Right? Between us?"
The word lands like a bullet.
Casual.
I think about the way I can't sleep without her body pressed against mine. The way I check the security feeds twelve times a day just to catch glimpses of her moving through the house. The way my chest cracks open every time Lily calls me "Nee-co" in that tiny voice of hers.
Casual.
I think about how I'd burn this entire city to the ground if anyone touched her. How I've already broken every rule I ever made for myself. How I spent thirty years believing love was a weapon that would destroy me, and now I'm standing here, unarmed, with my chest wide open.
Nothing about this has ever been casual.
"Is that what you think this is?" My voice comes out rougher than I intend.
She swallows. "Isn't it?"
