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He pressed his palms against his closed eyes, then dragged hishands down his face and focused on me again. “My mom keeps letting you in my room when I’m less than suitable for company.”

“She seems to like me,” I said. “But I have a feeling she likes everyone.”

“Surprisingly, she doesn’t, so you should feel special.”

“I do,” I said.

He sat up and for the first time I realized he was shirtless.

“Do you watch all your ex-boyfriends nap?” he asked, reaching over to his nightstand for his glasses.

My throat tightened with his use of the wordex.I didn’t like that word in reference to him. “No, you should feel special.”

“I do.” He looked down at his chest. “Can I just…?” Then he cupped his hand over his mouth and let out a breath. “And, yeah, I’ll be right back.”

“Please, take your time. I haven’t seen you in a while, but do what you must.”

He smiled, hopped out of bed, grabbed a T-shirt from his dresser, and then ran to the bathroom, I assumed to brush his teeth.

I sat there, suddenly nervous again. My stomach was in knots. It was so good to see him, but so far itwasdifferent. We were being careful and my wall was still very much in place even though I’d hoped it would immediately come crashing down when I saw Asher. And he seemed to have a wall up that he’d never had before.

When he came back, fully clothed, he flipped on the light and sat on the end of his bed. “You’re here,” he said with his signature smile.

I nodded and swallowed. “I’m here.”

Why was he making me put my wall down first? Why hadn’t hehugged me yet? I needed his hug to know this was all going to be fine. That he still wanted us to be fine. “I brought you a present.”

“You brought me a present?”

“Remember, the one I bought in Tahoe. It’s nothing earth-shattering,” I said, suddenly self-conscious.

He held out his hands.

I pulled out the red cape from my purse. It had a big blueSon it. Asher’s eyes, which had been lit in anticipation, seemed to dim a little. “A cape…thank you.”

“You hate it,” I said.

“Are you mocking me? Because I always have to save the day? Because I was trying to help Dale go viral and ended up hurtingyou?”

“What? No! No, no, that’s not it. It’s not a joke gift. I really do think of you as a save-the-day type of guy and I love that about you. I’m sorry. It’s a bad gift. I got you this too.” I set the cape on his dresser and rooted around in my purse for the Twix I’d brought, his favorite candy.

When I turned around to give it to him, he was standing in front of me. Close.

“It’s a great gift, Wren. Thank you. I just wasn’t sure if you had forgiven me. I wasn’t sure if you were here for closure or because…”

“Because what?” I asked when he didn’t finish.

“Or because you wanted…me.”

I nodded. I could let my wall down first. It had been up my whole life, after all, and he’d already helped me destroy it once. It was time to do it myself. “I do. I want you.”

He raised one side of his mouth in a half smile.

“Do you want me?” I asked.

“I brushed my teeth, Wren. I saw you and I brushed my teeth.”

“Is there something significant about brushing your teeth?” I asked, feigning innocence. “Most people do that every day. Twice a day, even. They—”