“Do what?”
“Take care of me.”
Mateo set the box down and turned to face her fully. “When I was a kid, food was how I survived. Not just physically. It was how I kept peace. How I proved I was worth keeping around.” He picked the box back up, added another container. “I fed people because it was the only thing I knew how to do. Now it’s just part of who I am and I embrace it.”
“No one ever took care of me, I was the competent one. So no one ever—” She stopped.
“Then let me be the one who insists.”
He sealed the box and handed it to Killian, who took it without comment. “Here’s the rule,” Mateo said, still focused on April. “You eat when you’re stressed. That’s my boundary with you.”
“That’s a weird boundary,” she said, trying to laugh.
“You’re a weird person.”
“Fair.”
They walked back to the limo, Killian carrying boxes, April beside Mateo. When they reached the curb, Mateo stopped, stared at the limo, then at the silhouettes inside.
“April," he said carefully, "I know that's a limo, but those are some very large men.”
“I’m aware.”
“Where am I supposed to sit?”
“We’ll make it work,” Killian said, opening the door.
Mateo climbed in, followed by a brief, visible round of human Tetris, Liam shifting closer to Caleb, Arthur angling his shoulders, Jax somehow taking up less space than physicsallowed. Mateo wedged himself into the remaining gap with the boxes on his lap.
“This is a fire hazard,” Mateo said.
“Probably,” Caleb agreed.
Killian got in last and shut the door. The limo was officially at capacity.
April looked around at all of them: Killian, composed but still apologetic; Arthur, eyes narrowed like he was calculating load-bearing limits; Liam radiating calm despite being compressed; Caleb delighted by the chaos; Jax pretending he wasn’t up to no good; Mateo clutching boxes like they were life preservers.
“Okay,” April said. “Show of hands, who else feels like tonight is a fever dream?”
Every hand went up. Including hers.
“Right. Okay. So—do we all… know each other?”
The men looked around the limo, over shoulders pressed too close.
“I’m Caleb,” Caleb offered.
“I know,” Arthur replied.
April released a slightly unhinged laugh, the kind that let pressure escape before something ruptured. “I think I need an icebreaker.” She could feel her eyes go a little wild.
“Nothing makes sense right now. I’m in a limo with six men, we’re going to a club, I’ve been engaged three separate times today, and I haven’t run a risk assessment on any of this, and I don’t know what I’m doing.”
Mateo reached for one of the boxes and handed her a container. “Eat first,” he said. “Existential spiral second. I’ve penciled it in for after midnight.”
The warmth seeped into her hands. She opened it, took a bite, and felt her nervous system finally unclench. She leaned back against the leather as the tires hummed beneath them. This morning, she’d been hiding in a supply closet. Now she was in astretch limo full of beautiful chaos, her life suddenly something that required a guest list and a press statement. It wasn’t a prank anymore. Which would’ve been comforting, if she had any idea what it actually was.
The song was still ghosting around the edges of her mind. “I wish I knew what Jiro was thinking,” she murmured, mostly to the air.
