They all stared at me like I had said something so absurd. But I stand corrected. This ce was huge. If Christopher was meant to take me to school shouldn’t he be close so we won’t gette?


    “We’re just going to pretend we didn’t hear you say that,” Kross said, opening a door just beside the stairs. It was a room. See? It was even more than one room.


    “Well, I’m not,” Axel said, marching to me. He stood in front of me, opening his mouth and closing it when no words came. He looked furious. He closed his mouth, took a deep breath, but it did nothing to calm him. “So you’re saying you want to stay with a man that loves women, and you’re also a woman who loves men. You want to stay under the same roof.”


    “I didn’t mean it like that,” I said, trying to clear the air. I looked over at Kade for help but he just stared at me nkly. Kross still hasn’te out of the room. “I just-”


    “That’s not going to happen, Rosette,” Axel cut me off, his breathing. “Get it off your head.”


    “Sure. Sure. It was just a suggestion, okay? No need to take it so seriously.”


    He looked at me before he turned. “Go freshen up. It’s been a long long flight.”


    As I stood under the shower, I couldn’t help but think about what happened downstairs, how the mood had changed suddenly and became so heavy.


    What was their deal? I agree, there was some tension between us, but it wasn’t anything serious. They didn’t look at me with lust in their eyes, so I thought we were all past that. But what was that?


    Were they going to be jerks even when they weren’t going to touch me? I wasn’t going to dance to that tone.


    I stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around my chest while my hair dripped water down to the floor.


    A soft knock came at the door and it opened. Kade stepped in, holding a tray of food. He paused when he saw I was half naked, but his expression didn’t even change as he walked into my room.


    “I brought you dinner,” he said, setting the tray down. He didn’t leave


    immediately, just turned to me, looking tired. And my anger melted as I stared at


    him.


    Kade might have been a cold bastard in the beginning, but the more time I spend with him, the more I know him. He was the softest. Soft and broken. He barely spoke because most of the time, he was just lost in his head.


    I hated that. I wish I knew what was going on with him, and I wish I could take it


    away.


    “Will you stay while I change?” I asked softly.


    He nodded, moving and sitting at the edge of the bed. I turned and entered the closest. Oh, it was a walk–in closet. The men really didn’t hold back. It was hard to stay angry with them when I think of everything they do for me.


    I changed into my pajamas quickly and went back to the room without bothering to dry my hair.


    “Has your school schedule been sent?” Kade asked when he noticed me. He was now lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his hands folded and supporting his head.


    “Yeah,” I answered as I sat beside him. “But I haven’t checked it yet.”


    “The first year is always busy and hectic. But after that it bes easy.”


    “I don’t mind how busy and hectic it’ll get. As long as I’m in school, it’s okay.”


    My hand reached out slowly and touched his hair, brushing it out of his forehead. His eyes moved to me, and I’ll never


    and I’ll never get tired of staring at them.


    “You got your eyes from your mom?” I asked softly.


    “Hmm. Your dinner <b>is </b>going to get cold.”


    “Cold food has never killed anyone.”


    He scoffed, closing his eyes and leaning into my touch as I continued to stroke his hair.


    “Kade.”


    “Hmm?”


    “I’m here if you want to talk, you know?”


    He opened his eyes slowly, turning so that he was lying on his side and facing me. “Why would you assume I have anything to talk about?”


    “It’s just…” I huffed out a breath. “You always seem so sad. You barely speak and you’re always lost in your head. I… hate it.”


    He stared up at me, blinking slowly, a slight curve to his lips. “You hate it? Tell me why, my love.”


    I looked away, my face burning. He hasn’t called me that since… that night. “It’s just…” I didn’t know what to answer so I just sighed.


    “I’ve always been like this,” he said softly after a beat of silence. “Ever since I was a child. Always silent. Always in a quiet void. I don’t hate it. Matter of fact, I love it. That serenity mncholy. It’s peaceful. And when I get lost in my head, I’m not really thinking of anything. It’s just nk up there.”


    I stared at him, my fingers still in his hair. He was like me, but while he felt void of peace as a child, I felt nothing but rage and fear. We were alike, yet so different.


    I continued to stroke his hair. “I see.”


    “That’s making me sleepy,” he whispered.


    “Is it?”


    “About what happened downstairs, I’m sorry about that.” My fingers stopped. “You’re your own person, Rosette. We shouldn’t be so protective when we won’t even…” He didn’tplete it. Couldn’t. “After tomorrow, we’re going to be oceans apart, and we won’t be seeing each other for a long time. So live, my love. Don’t let


    anything hold you back.”


    I resumed stroking his hair, my chest tight, a lump in my throat. I felt like Kade understood me more than Axel and Kross did. Felt like he saw me more than they


    did.


    “Can I kiss you, Kade?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.