I flinched and grabbed my jacket tighter.
‘Why the hell is it this cold? I packed a coat, I wore the coat, and I’m still freezing. We were gone six days, not six months.’
Ashton ca up behind and dropped a heavy wool coat over my shoulders.
It was dark grey, thick, and warm enough to deflect a snowball.
‘You always forget how cold it gets here,’ he said. ‘Just wear this until we get to the car.’
I pushed my arms into the sleeves.
As soon as we stepped out of the terminal, Ashton grabbed my hand and shoved it into the pocket of his coat.
His palm was warm, fingers locked tight around mine.
We walked out together, side by side, breath fogging in the wind.
The cold hit sharper than before, the kind that cut through jeans and wool and straight into bone.
We climbed into the car waiting at the kerb.
Once back at the house, I went straight up to Ashton’s room without thinking.
I hadn’t talked to Geoffrey yet, but I already knew what kind of answer he’d give if I asked him about the heating system repairs.
We’d barely set foot inside when Dominic materialised on the doorstep.
He muttered sothing urgent, waved his phone in Ashton’s face, and dragged him back out before I could take my boots off.
I watched them leave through the front window.
Ashton had spent the last few days stuck in Riverbend with .
He could’ve left to handle the show alone, but he didn’t.
Whatever was blowing up at HQ now, it had probably been building the whole ti we were away.
That night, he called, said he wasn’t coming ho for dinner, told not to wait.
I went to bed early, fell asleep before ten.
At so point, I felt sothing tugging at .
I pried my eyes open a crack.
Ashton. Shirtless, damp hair clinging to his forehead.
I groaned and let my eyes shut again.
‘You’re back...’ I mumbled, voice muffled by the pillow.
He slipped into bed behind and pulled in.
His skin was warm, radiating heat like he’d just stepped out of the shower.
I slid back against him instinctively, already half-asleep again.
We hadn’t spent a night apart since Riverbend.
My body knew where it belonged before I did.
He slled faintly of shampoo and sothing sharp underneath—vodka, maybe whisky.
I pressed my nose into his chest and inhaled twice before wrinkling my nose and pulling back.
‘You’ve been drinking?’
‘Just a little. I showered. Sll’s gone.’
‘Still there.’
He disagreed.
Then shoved onto my back and kissed like he was trying to win the argunt with his mouth.
I looped my arm around his neck without opening my eyes.
The alcohol on his skin had faded.
Maybe I’d imagined it.
His mouth moved against mine. Slow, teasing, familiar.
My thoughts dulled. Muscles loosened.
The weight of him anchored .
I stopped noticing when I drifted under.
When I woke up, the bed was empty.
Pale light leaked through a crack in the curtains, streaking across the duvet.
I lay there for a mont, head sunk into his pillow.
The sheets still slled like his soap.
I reached up and touched the corner of my mouth.
It felt faintly swollen.
I didn’t move for a few seconds.
Just lay there, rembering the press of his hands on my hips, his voice low in my ear.
My chest felt tight, but not in a bad way.
I stretched, groaning as my spine popped, and slid out of bed.
While brushing my teeth, I stared at myself in the mirror.
My hair was sticking up at the back.
My lips were definitely swollen.
I spat into the sink and rinsed.
Things between and Ashton were starting to feel... off.
Not bad.
Just unlabelled.
We slept in the sa bed.
We showered in the sa bathroom.
We cuddled. A lot.
But we hadn’t said anything real.
I glanced back at the bed.
The duvet was kicked to one side, pillows dented.
Two sets of creases on the sheets.
The ss looked balanced. Like it belonged to both of us.
I’d told myself I’d sort this out once we were back from Riverbend. Figure out what this thing was. What I wanted from him.
My mouth curved before I could stop it.
I’d made up my mind.
***
At the studio, Priya congratulated before handing a tray lined with velvet.
‘First sample’s ready. Want to nitpick now or after coffee?’
I tilted it towards the light. ‘Not bad. Edges need filing, and this clasp’s too stiff. But good job. Quick work.’
She scribbled sothing on her tablet and disappeared into the back room.
I hadn’t been in the studio for days, but everything was spotless.
Daniel and Priya had kept it together.
That left free.
I grabbed my scarf and crossed the street to Sugar & Whim.
Yvaine hugged the second I walked in.
‘I knew you’d win. The comp blew up. Half the tags on my feed were about you. If I’d known Riverbend would be that fun, I’d have ditched the bakery and gone with you.’
When I told her about Dubois and the mysterious old man and the six hundred thousand, she clicked her tongue.
‘Sounds like a mystery novel. Damn it, why did all the fun stuff happen when I wasn’t there? That’s it. Next ti, wherever you go, I go.’
‘Focus. I’m not here to gossip,’ I said. ‘I need a favour.’
‘What kind of favour?’
‘I want to order a small cake. I’ll pick it up before close.’
Her brow wrinkled. ‘Whose birthday is it?’
‘No one’s.’ I cleared my throat. ‘I’m cooking dinner for Ashton tonight.’
I’d left Carn a note this morning to set out the ingredients.
I’d planned the nu over breakfast.
Nothing complicated, but I was going to make it myself.
The cake was dessert.
Yvaine narrowed her eyes. ‘You eat with him all the ti. What’s the special occasion?’
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