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alex

“Hey, little guy,” I said to the little boy who was clutching a bear in one hand and wearing holiday pajamas, his curls a messy halo around his head.

“How are you feeling, sweetie?” Anastasia asked, rushing toward him and touching his face.

“How is he?” I walked up behind them.

Anastasia had gone through an entire list of emergency contacts, including her roommate, primary care doctor, the nearest urgent care, and the medicine schedule and doses.

Appearing frazzled, she was clearly running late for work, dressed in a uniform collared shirt and a pair of jeans, light makeup, and her hair in her signature ponytail. She looked utterly exhausted and yet so beautiful at the same time.

The moment she called, a surge of happiness washed over me. It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. She needed me, and that simple fact filled me with a profound sense of purpose. I needed to be there for her, not just because she asked, but because being there for her felt right.

“I think he’s doing a bit better,” she said, offering me a reassuring smile. “His fever seems to have gone away.” She grabbed a forehead thermometer from the barstool and checked.

A door on the other side of the apartment opened. “Oh, hey, Notebook man.”

“ Notebook man?” I asked the stranger, darting my eyes to Anastasia.

“Don’t ask,” Anastasia told me, and then she and who I could only presume was the roommate laughed.

Her roommate had short, cropped hair and was also wearing a polo with a logo of some sort. “Thanks for coming by and taking care of the little guy.” She closed the distance between us and stuck out her hand. “My name is Alina, Damien and Stassi’s roomie.”

I took her hand and gave it a quick shake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Cool. I gotta head to work, but if you need me, I can usually have my phone during my breaks.”

“I should be fine here.” I smiled down at Damien, who was staring at me as if somehow trying to place me.

“Oh, hey, Stass?” her roommate called out right as she opened the door.

“Yeah?”

“You’re right. He has very f-able lips.” Then she closed the door as resounding laughter could be heard from the hallway.

I slowly turned toward Anastasia, whose cheeks had flushed the most beautiful crimson color.

“Ignore her.”

“F-able lips, eh?” I smirked.

The thermometer beeped. “Ah, look, it’s normal.”

“Mommy, am I going to hang out with the hockey guy from camp?”

“Yeah, baby. Mommy has to go to work, but I can stay here if you’re not comfortable.”

I didn’t say anything, just waited and then winked at Damien.

“No. He was so much fun.”

She glanced at me, her eyes filled with a mix of gratitude and worry. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course,” I replied. “You know I’m always here for you.”

Anastasia nodded, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You don’t have to do it alone,” I said gently. “Go on, get to work. I’ll take care of everything here.”

She hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to give Damien a kiss on the forehead. “Mommy will be back soon, okay? Alex is going to take care of you.”

“Okay. I think I’ll have fun today.” The little boy reached up and grabbed my hand, and my heart lurched from my chest.

“We definitely will,” I managed to say right as Anastasia looked at us.

Whatever emotion I was desperately trying to push down into my chest was radiating off Anastasia too.

“I’ll see you guys at four thirty.”

I turned to the little guy. “Hey, do you think we could watch your favorite movie in a little bit?” He nodded. “Can you show me where the remote is?”

He went to his room, and I looked at Anastasia, who was close to the door. “Hey,” I called out.

She turned around, her beautiful blue eyes boring into mine.

“I know it’ll be hard coming to the rink, so I can meet you outside or have Dirks?—”

“No. You did this for me. I can meet you inside.” She looked down at her toes. “It’s the least I can do,” she said and lifted her eyes back toward mine.

“If you aren’t ready?—”

“Stop.” She took a deep breath. “You’re doing this for me, so I’m going to do something for you.” She closed the gap between us. “Thank you.”

I looked down at her plush red lips, which were shiny with gloss, and I wanted to throw her against the nearest wall. Fuck . Stop. Ugh.

“So my lips are pretty fuckable?” I whispered, making sure Damien couldn’t hear us from his room.

A slow smirk spread across her face. “Very.”

Then I kissed her, and everything felt whole and complete.