Chapter 0214

The two of us are very, very still for the next few moments, and as it turns out I’m the one who can't take it. I break the silence,

the stillness, taking a sharp inhale of breath and moving closer to him and pressing my body up against his.

Because — despite everything — despite the threat —

I don’t think I can stop either.

“Okay,” I breathe, wrapping my arms around Kent and tucking my head under his chin, pressing my ear to his chest and listening

to his heartbeat. Kent pauses for a moment and then folds his arms around me, holding me lightly to him, a gentle grip that lets

me know that if I want to run from him...! can.

“All right,” I sigh, giving in. “Until they leave, Kent. Until it’s settled, until they're gone, I'll be your secret, and you'll be mine. And

then, we'll...decide.”

“All right,” Kent agrees, tightening his hold on me in such a way that feels like...relief, more than affection, or ownership. Like he

has finally relaxed.

“But Kent?” I ask, turning my head up towards him.

“Hmm?” he replies, encouraging me to ask.

“Can you just be like...a little nicer to me?”

Kent laughs at this, apparently surprised. He looks at me curiously. “What? Have I been mean to you?”

“Well, no,” I murmur, wiggling a little discontentedly beside him. “But Natalia — she is a...” I blow out a breath there, letting him

know precisely what I think Natalia is without having to say it. Kent laughs and hugs me tighter, pleased.

“Natalia is a dragon,” he remarks. “I thought you’ve been doing quite well against her, Fay — especially tonight, when you didn’t

cry or run away after she told me about your little interlude with him —*

“She’s making my life a living hell!” I protest, ignoring his mention of Ivan. “She’s so mean to me Kent — you don’t see half of it,

because she saves it for when you're not around! Which is always! I have to spend all day with her and it’s just insult, insult,

insult!” I shake my head, amazed and frustrated.

Kent just laughs at me further. “All right, Fay,” he concedes. “I'll do a better job of being on your side, when I can. But I can’t be

around all the time, and if you're going to play the role of Daniel’s fiancé it’s your job to entertain his guests —*

“I never knew that!” I retort, pulling my hand up and smacking him on the chest. “No one told me — no one prepared me for any of

this! I told her I can’t cook pasta, and she looked at me like I said I committed a war crime! I would have learned to cook pasta! I

mean, it can’t be hard — you just boil it, right?”

Kent laughs harder at this, at me, but not in a way that makes me feel bad. Instead, I feel heard by him, and like he’s helping me

see the lighter side of it. I can’t help the little smile that blooms on my face as I laugh at it too.