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My eyes never leave them as I nod. ”Back up the stairs, double oak doors at the end of the hall,” I tell them, letting them take us there.

I follow Nero into the hall but don’t dash after them if they decide to make a run for the last room — my room. I follow at a steady pace, my long legs eating up the distance. My hands take up their place in my pockets once more. I feel myself wound tight, but I don’t make a move, other than walking.

Once Nero opens the door, he will see the final room. My bedroom. The bed was an Alaskan king-size (currently unmade). It was massive. Truthfully, I debated on putting this in the white bedroom with the other king-size since that was the room I used when I had nighttime guests, but I decided to keep the ridiculously large bed for myself. The room was big enough for it.

The room was completely accented in golds and greens, with some recessed shelves full of books, and some plants. There was a large book nook under the window to stretch out and lounge on with gold and green pillows, and an oversized blanket. Some artwork and other pieces sat on the walls, but not much. This room was much of my sanctuary as it was my space for a reset. So, I kept it empty of most things my other rooms had.

There was no TV, but there was a record player behind one of the couches, with a few shelves of records. A liquor cabinet sat in the corner, mainly there to help on sleepless nights.

I stood in the doorway, letting Nero take their fill of the room.

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Is this his room? Unlike my usual self, I take my time walking around and looking at everything. I pause in the middle to turn towards Caden. ”Your room?” I ask, tilting my head as I look at him. Although it bares resemblance to a lot of the rooms on “his” side of the house, it has notably less collectibles. I wonder how many people got to see this part of Caden. No longer wanting to tease him any longer, I quickly walk over to where Caden stands in the doorframe.

”Wait, were you inviting me to stay in your room?” I ask genuinely.

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My usual smile shifts from cocky and confident to shy and humble. ”I am. If you want. The other room is perfect for you though, if you prefer. And it’s right next to mine, so it’s close enough,” I say, not wanting to pressure them into staying with me in my room.

Both rooms also have their own attached bath, so there was no need to leave it. The guest room had a TV as well as well as other amenities that mine lacked. For my room, I wanted quiet and peace. I felt having a TV took that notion away.

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I eventually made it home with an hour to spare. The four-legged hooligans immediately take over my townhouse and zoom over the entire place. ”If there is a single plant out of place or gone when I come back, there will be hell to pay,” I threaten before disappearing into the bathroom. I know better than to close the door behind me.

I make quick work of showering before finding something to wear. It’s not very cold out, but since it will be dark and late before getting home, I decide to dress more cozy than anything. I know I could show up in a ball gown, and still, Caden would somehow outshine us all. I learned that a long time ago and stopped competing. When I started doing that, I was happier, but also found I looked better. Confidence and all that.

After dressing, I pin my hair half-up and leave it to dry naturally.

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I beam up at him, pleasantly surprised by the shift in his confidence. ”You were right, I do like this room better.” I say impishly. As tempted as I am to make a run for his bed and diving into it, I also am enjoying this moment quite a bit. ”Besides, it seems like your bed has plenty of room to fit big ol’ me.”

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I look up as the driver slows down and I start recognizing some of the streets and houses we’re passing. We’re approaching the place my dad and I had left from this morning. I was a little too distracted earlier to pay attention, but she lived in a nice part of the city. We pull up in front of her townhouse and I hope out of the car to go knock on Cassiopeia’s door. I clear my throat, suddenly noticing my throat is dry and I feel nervous. Why do I feel nervous?

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”I thought about putting it in the other bedroom I use, but decided I wanted the space over here.” My phone dings and I pull it out to see the driver I sent for Cassi and Nic has picked them up.

”Cass and Nic should be here in thirty minutes,” I announce.

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I just give the cats some treats when there is a knock on the door. Surprisingly, Wayland ignores his treats and runs ahead of me to the door. I grab my bag and open it up to see Nic standing there. Wayland walks out, fluffy tail flipping about, and he meows for pets.

I laugh and shake my head. ”Quick pets Wayland, we have to go.”

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I suck my bottom lip in, a little sad to hear that the others will be here soon and I’ll have to tuck myself away. “I should probably put my clothes back on then.” I say with a small laugh, fidgeting a little.

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Taken by surprise at first, I then grin, bending down to pick Wayland up. ”Hey little buddy, I’m glad to see you again too.” I scratch under his chin for a bit and then behind the ears before I set him back down. I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I see Wayland anyhow. As I straighten, I take note of Cassiopeia’s outfit and smile brightly at her.

”You look very cute.” I tell her honestly.

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My eyes roam over them once more, taking it all in before I nod. ”Probably. I need to change anyway. You can keep the sweater still, if you'd like,” I offer. My fingers twitch in my pocket, badly wanting to touch some part of Nero, but I resist. I find myself hoping they will stay the night with me, so I could hold them all night long.

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Satisfied for now, Wayland dashes back into the house once he's put down. I turn around to lock my door, giving myself time to blush and compose myself.

”Oh, um, thank-you. Green looks good on you,” I compliment back. I nod and walk down the steps with him before climbing into the back seat.

”Oh, good evening, Avery.” I say, greeting the robust driver. Avery used to be a mixed martial arts fighter in the heavyweight division. Even though he no longer fought, he still trained. He was Caden's trainer and part bodyguard and sometimes driver. I appreciated Caden sending Avery to pick Nic and I up.

“Good evening, Miss. Alistair,” he greeted in kind. No matter how many times I asked him to call Cassiopeia, he never did.

”Could you stop at Warehouse Liquors, please?”

“Of course,” he said. He pulled away once Nic was in.

I set my bag on the floor and buckled myself in. ”I'll give you a few different wine options in different price ranges that Caden will like, then you can pick whichever,” I told Nic. I wasn't going to assume Nic had money to burn, but I wasn't going to insult him either. I figured a bottle under $50, one over $50, and one between $150-$200 was good to choose from.

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Looking at my feet, I rub the back of my neck before I tuck my short hair behind my ears and look back up at Caden. ”Is it okay if I just stay in here?” I ask. I could grab the couple of 13th century books and continue reading them in here if he’d let me. My eyes dart to the large bed and I can imagine how much it must smell like him. Truth be told, I don’t really want to change out of his sweater either, so maybe if I stay in here, I might not need to change clothes at all.

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I find myself smiling at her reaction to my compliment. She’s adorable. I follow her back to the car and quietly observe her interaction with the driver, taking a mental note of her last name. He and I didn’t talk much on the way here, which was fine with me at the time. I lean a little closer towards Cassiopeia as she starts talking to me, wanting to make sure I catch everything she’s saying. She’s being very considerate of my need to bring a gift and I find myself admiring how thorough she’s being. ”Thank you, I really appreciate this. I don’t remember if I told you this over the phone, but my parents would always make sure to arrive with a gift when they were guests, no matter what. It’s hard for me to show up empty-handed whenever I’m invited to someone’s house.” I smile brightly at her before rubbing the back of my neck and looking out the window as the city passes by.

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”I’d like it very much if you did,” I told him. ”We won’t be in this part of the house tonight, so feel free to roam from room to room,” I informed him. ”This room is good for reading, but if you decide you want to watch some TV, you’ll have to go to one of the other rooms.”

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”Of course, Caden will appreciate the personal touch. Not that you needed to bring anything; we kind of owe you after yesterday,” I said and glanced out my own window. ’Do you drink wine?” I asked curiously.

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”So, what I’m hearing is I don’t need to put pants on.” I grin up at him. I would try Teleporting again to grab a few things plus some clothes, but I don’t want to end up in the pool again. I study Caden’s face a little at that thought, remembering how he didn’t really even question what happened.

”You’re so intriguing.” I finally say with a tilt of my head.

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I gesture vaguely and shrug with a smile. ”Yeah, sometimes,” I tell her. I don’t get out much with how busy work can get, but there’s been times after a particularly rough night that I go out to the bar with coworkers to let off some steam. ”I prefer a good rum though.”

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I smiled at them, refraining from mirroring their look this time and instead walked towards the ensuite bathroom. ”And mysterious? Good-looking, commanding, brilliant…” I trail off as I walk into the bathroom to turn on the rain shower. After I grab a towel from the closet in the bathroom, I hang it up on the hook outside the shower before walking back to Nero.

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”Really? You’ll have to show me which you recommend,” I said as we pulled up to the liquor store. ”Thank you, Avery. We should only be a few minutes,” I told him before getting out of the vehicle. I waited on the sidewalk for Nic before walking in with him.

I lead the way to the correct aisle and point out a few different reds in various price ranges. I also briefly explain the different notes each one has and what they pair well with.

”I’m not sure what Caden is making, and he doesn’t usually tell me, so it would be hard to pick a wine based on that. These wines, however, are good on their own. He’ll likely open the bottle for us to share after the meal,” I tell Nic.

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”Have I mentioned that you’re incredibly humble too?” I say with a smirk, but he’s not wrong about the other things he’s listed off. I crane my neck to peer up at him. ”Also, very tall.” I hold my chin and nod like I’m researching this fine specimen of a man.

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”I should take you to one of the bars near the hospital - they make the best cocktails with rum.” I tell her as we head inside. As I listen to her talk about the different wines, I peer closer to see what vineyards each are from. I recognize a brand from Sonoma that Cass had pointed out - it’s in one of the vineyard’s signature blue glass bottle. I grab two bottles of it. “I had a more… affluent friend share some wine from this vineyard with me before.” I explain with a smile. “I really enjoyed it, so that’s good enough for me.”

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I chuckle, looking down at them and crossing my arms. ”Nero, mein kleiner Kobold, you’re going to make me run behind. Perhaps you can admire me tonight after the others have left.”

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I don’t say anything when Nic offers to take me to a bar. I don’t want to be rude, but I don’t really see that happening. I mean, maybe as friends, in a group. I follow him through the store while he looks over the wines. He finds one that he knows and grabs a couple of bottles. I look it over just in case before nodding.

”Good choice,” I say and make my way towards the checkout, forgetting that I asked him to show me some of the rums he likes.

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”I couldn’t possibly know what you mean by that.” I throw a playful pout at him before I absentmindedly start chewing on the nail bed of one of my fingers. I use my other hand to gently push him on the chest back towards the bathroom. ”Go have fun getting wet.” I wink.

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A little smile of pride graces my face when she approves of my choice. She starts heading towards check out, but I reach out to grab her arm gently. “Let’s go look at rum too while we’re here.” I remind her, letting go once she turns. ”Or if you want to wait in line, I can just go grab a bottle for you and be right back?” I offer as an alternative.

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”I’ll be thinking of you,” I replied with a wink of my own. I shut the door with a grin and turned around to get into the shower.

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’Oh right!” I look at the check-out, then at my watch. ”We still have some time,” I say and follow him to the rum section, which is almost a full wall. I look from one end to the other. ”Wow.” I don’t often come to the liquor store. Caden always keeps a well-stocked liquor cabinet for me. Between that and his wine cellar, there isn’t much need for me to go to other liquor stores.

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Laughing as he closes the door, I make a run for his bed and leap into it, wiggling around on the unmade bed with glee. It does smell like him. Plus it’s super comfortable. Maybe I’ll try to see if I can ‘sleep’ in it with him. The thought of him having his arms wrapped around me in bed gives me the tiniest of butterflies. I flip over onto my stomach, lazily kicking my feet up and down as I survey his room once more with a smile. I already planned to use the couch for reading so that I won’t disturb Caden’s sleep. I happily rest my head on my hands, bobbing my head side to side in a little dance coordinated with my feet as I get comfortable.

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I grin at her reaction, watching her reactions to everything. ”How do you like your alcohol?” I ask as I grab a macadamia nut liquor that’s near the rum aisle for myself. ”I’ll usually go for a spiced rum if it’s a cocktail. If you’re using it as a mixer, you can’t really go wrong with almost anything.” I tell her.

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”Cocktails are good; I don’t mind straight either. I usually save drinking straight for whiskey,” I state. I pick up a bottle of rum that has a pretty label and read the back of it before putting it back on the shelf. ”I’m up for trying anything new,” I tell him honestly.

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”Aesthetics seem to be a factor you enjoy as well.” I tease lightly as she puts the pretty labeled bottle back on the shelf. ”Do you like coconut?” I preferred it in my sweeter cocktails.

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”Well, who doesn’t like pretty things?” I defend myself. ”What, like Malibu rum? It’s alright. Not my most favourite. I’ve preferred the spiced and dark rums in the past,” I inform him. ”Or rums distilled in whiskey barrels. They usually have a smokey taste or peat taste that I don’t seem to mind. And before you tell me that’s like dirt, don’t. I already know it sounds weird since I don’t like tomatoes 'cause they taste like dirt, but I can assure you it’s entirely different.”

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Laughing, I shake my head before I give her a couple of pats on the shoulder. ”I didn’t even open my mouth yet.” I chuckle, shoulders still shaking in silent laughter. ”You gotta give me a chance next time.” I grin lopsidedly before I grab a bottle I think she will like from the shelf.

”Alright, little tomato, let’s get going now.” I tease.