Page 108 of Hunger & Harmony

My hand rests over the tattoo, my heart beating steadily under it.

“There’s not just one celestial object, but two in the Scorpius constellation that resemble a butterfly,” he says. “A nebula and a cluster.” He shrugs, smiling sadly. “My mother thought that was special. Fated. Butterflies are a symbol of hope, right?”

“Yeah . . .”

“She sang of them, carved and stitched them everywhere.” His eyes return to mine. “So, when you chose that one in particular, a sketch I’ve seen hundreds of times . . .”

He trails off. I snuggle closer to him, my head on his chest now.

“I guess she was right,” I say. “It is special. Fated.”

His hold on me tightens. I let him pull me into his chest completely, fitting against him like I’ve always belonged here.

Maybe I have. Maybe my heart recognized truth before I could put it into words.

A phone wails in the distance. It’s a ringtone I don’t recognize. Niko stiffens before he swears under his breath.

“What time is it?” he asks, and I glance over his shoulder at my bedside clock.

“Three on the dot.”

“Fuck.”

“Do you need to go?” I ask.

The face he’s making betrays how badly he doesn’t want to.

“Hey.” I bring my hand up to his cheek and smile softly. “We still have to do things.”

“But . . .” He leans into my fingers, eyes closing as he whispers, “Being here is more important.”

“So is being a leader and a king.”

His eyes open, and I giggle at his sulking. He’s really not convinced.

“I promise to come back to you the second I can.”

“Good,” I say, letting my hand fall away. “I’ll get things done, too. I should check in with Lorelai.”

He nods, but it’s me who has to peel our limbs apart. After pulling on his shirt as slowly as possible, he’s still stalling by my nightstand, an adorably sad look on his face.

“Wait, sir?” I stand up. “Can I get some help over here?”

Niko blinks at me, clearly perplexed as I smile sweetly at him.

“Yeah, you,” I say, waving him over.

He glances back at the wall before he steps towards me.

“Uh . . .”

“I’ve heard great things about B.E.R., and you’re, like, employee of the month, right?”

I hold in a fit of laughter when he only stares down at me in response. He’d probably look less alarmed if I grew another head.

“Cadence . . .?”

“You see, I’ve been meaning to get another jacket from Boyfriend Essentials Rentals. You can help me with that, yeah?”