He doesn’t pull away right away. Instead, his index finger lifts my chin gently, guiding my gaze back to his.
“We’ll do this again soon, aye?” he asks, looking straight into my eyes.
“Yes,” I smile.
He lets me go.
“See you soon,” I add, stepping back toward my door.
He waits, leaning against his truck, hair slightly disheveled, impossibly handsome in the porch light. The engine doesn’t start until I’ve already locked the door behind me.
Inside, the house is quiet.
I expect Neptune to greet me, but instead I find him sprawled on his bed by the window, tail thumping lazily when he sees me. His head rests on a large pink plush toy that definitely wasn’t there when I left.
“Hey, Neps,” I murmur, kneeling beside him.
He lifts his head just enough to sniff around my hair, investigating, then settles again.
“Did Skye let you borrow a stuffy?” I ask, smiling when his tail thumps in response.
I rub his back gently, and he melts further into the bed.
“Looks like you had a long walk,” I tell him. “You look exhausted.”
Straightening, I head toward the kitchen.
“I’m tired too,” I say aloud, mostly to myself. “I’m going to shower and then—”
I stop.
There’s a handwritten note stuck to the fridge.
Didn’t know what you liked for breakfast, so I brought you a few options.
Aiden
Oh, fuck.
Chapter 13
The morning air is cool and damp, clinging to my sleeves as Neptune pads along beside me. He pauses once to sniff a low hedge, then keeps walking, unbothered, alert to the quiet street around us.
My phone is tucked between my shoulder and ear.
“So,” April says, dragging the word out. “Tell me everything.”
I smile despite myself. “Good morning to you too.”
“May.”
“It was great,” I say, surprised by how easily the word comes out. “Finn is… nothing like the guys I usually go out with.”
“Explain.”
“He’s confident. Very.” I watch Neptune slow just enough to track the birds along the fence, his attention sharp even as he keeps moving. “But not in a way that made me feel small or likeI had to perform. I felt comfortable. Like I could just exist next to him.”
April hums softly. “I like that.”
