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Like I’m me again, with a little extra bite.

Kai notices. His grin softens - just a little - and he tips his head to the side, watching me.

“There she is,” he murmurs.

I look over. “What?”

“You,” he says simply. “You’re back.”

For a second, the air stills between us. But then he winks and breaks it before it gets too heavy.

Then: “Still not getting that kiss, huh?”

“Not unless your abs come with a side of apology for the mouth.”

“Bambi,” he grins. “My absarethe apology.”

Theo sighs. “I need stronger coffee.”

And then -

“I see you’re vertical,” Ash says, materializing at the counter like a sexy shadow with a caffeine addiction. He’s holding a mug of coffee and wearing a white t-shirt that clings to his muscular arms in a way that should come with a warning.

I nod. “Apparently.”

He watches me for a beat. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’ve been held hostage by my own hormones and edged into madness.”

Kai, who has now decided that bananas are a personality, nearly chokes laughing.

“Oh my god,” he grins, mouth full. “Marry me.”

Theo snorts. “She’d kill you within the week.”

“Two days,” Ash mutters into his coffee, deadpan.

“He's not wrong,” I shrug, “And I’d make it look like an accident.”

“Terrifying.” Kai looksthrilled. “I’m into it.”

Theo slides a plate in front of me. Eggs, toast, and cut fruit arranged like I’m five years old and can’t be trusted with a knife.

I glance up at him. “You cut the crusts.”

“You’ve been through a lot,” he says simply.

God.Theo.Soft hands, steel spine, and the audacity to be this nurturing.

I look around at the three of them - chaos, calm, and controlled violence.

All mine, kind of. Maybe. Whatever this is.

It’s weird. And intense. And probably frowned upon by polite society.

But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I pick up a piece of toast, suddenly aware of how dry my mouth feels. I chew. Dryly. Dramatically. Like I’m proving a point.

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