“No, don’t worry about it,” she said. “Just as long as you’ll be back to your usual charming self before tonight.” She thought of Cinderella turning into a pumpkin at midnight—everything had limits, even magic.
Once she’d opened the door, they found a small en suite room, with a double bed, a desk, and a leather chesterfield sofa.She’d known there was only going to be one bed, but seeing it now, how small and insubstantial it looked, made her uneasy. She trusted Rob, she knew she was in control. But that kiss by the Cam had changed things; the boundaries between them felt blurred.
“I can sleep on the sofa,” he said, as though reading her mind.
“We’ll work it out,” she said, feeling flustered, pulling off her sunglasses and throwing them onto the bed. There were more pressing concerns to address. “What do you need? Do you wantto sleep? Plug in? I can give you some privacy, come back in an hour?”
She didn’t know why, but she felt embarrassed by the idea of watching him recharge. They hadn’t discussed his physical needs before. His nonhuman status was not a secret between them, but as Avery had recommended, it wasn’t something they often talked about. She did not question what he did when he went to the bathroom, what happened to the food he ate in her presence. She was curious about how he worked but asking him about it felt rude, like asking someone to tell you about their bowel movements. If she was being honest, perhaps she also wanted to preserve the illusion. When you were charmed by the puppet, you didn’t want to be reminded of the puppeteer.
“I just need twenty-eight minutes and forty-two seconds,” he said, taking off his jacket and laying it on the bed. She felt herself blush. Was he about to take his clothes off?
“Okay, nice to have the specifics, I’ll, um, I’ll see you later, then.”
As she turned to go, Rob reached for her hand, pulled her toward him, and kissed her again, deeper this time, with more confidence. It took her by surprise. “I thought you were running on empty,” she murmured.
“Kissing you recharges me,” he said softly.
“Seriously?”
“No, sorry, I thought that might sound romantic. I will need an actual power source.”
“Okay, right, I’ll leave you to it then, shall I?” she said, staggering backward, tripping over the carpet, feeling her cheeks glow red as she hurried out the door.
Wow. The last ten minutes had been a confusing cocktail ofemotions. When he kissed her, Rob had never felt more real. Yet she’d also been reminded he had needs too, just different ones than her.
In the corridor, she did what she always did when she was feeling discombobulated. She called Kiko. She had already told Kiko a little about Rob. Well, a half-truth. She’d said he was from an agency that had been recommended to her by a friend, and that she was planning on taking him to the reunion as her fake date. So basically, the truth, except she’d skipped the nonhuman part, for legal reasons. In all honesty, even if shedaredtell Kiko the truth, she knew there wasn’t a chance in hell Kiko would believe her.
“Are you in Oxford yet?” Kiko asked. “Turn on your camera, I want to see everything.”
“Yes, I’m here,” Chloe said, relieved to hear her friend’s voice. “It’s weird.” Then she switched to video call so she could show Kiko the quad.
“Oh look, it’s just the same!” Kiko cried. “Ah, there’s the bench where I had sex with Rocco Falconi. Good times.” Chloe swung the camera around. “And that window up there, second from the right, that was where I lost my virginity.”
“I’m taking you off video,” Chloe said. “This is not that kind of tour.”
“Spoilsport,” Kiko said, laughing. “So have you fallen for your fake date yet?”
“What makes you say that?” Chloe said, looking around to check she was alone.
“Everyonealwaysfalls for the fake date! Haven’t you seenThe Wedding Date,The Proposal? It’s a classic trope! You pretend to be in love, then bam!” She paused. “Love city. Not idealto fall for a male gigolo, though. Make sure you use protection, babe. You don’t know how many people he’s slept with.”
“Kiko, he’s not a gigolo, he’s a professional companion, and it’snotlike that.” Chloe walked out through the porter’s lodge, dropping her voice to a whisper. “And I’m not falling for him. It’s just…complicated.” She sighed. “He’s such easy company. It’s made me realize how much energy it took up, being with Peter. I was always walking this tightrope with him, preempting his irritation in any situation. It made me jumpy.”
“I know,” Kiko said, her voice gentle now. “You shrank yourself so he could feel bigger.”
“Why did I do that?” Chloe asked quietly.
“I don’t know, why does anyone date a narcissist?”
Chloe exhaled. “I just, I forgot what it feels like to…to be around someone nice.”
“Oh, babe, I’m sorry. Welcome back to healthy relationship land. It’s lovely and peaceful here, we just watch Netflix, get takeout, and procreate.” Chloe smiled, while knowing full well that whatever she was feeling for Rob, it probably didn’t constitute a healthy relationship. “Come on, spill,” Kiko went on, sounding excited now. “Have you kissed him? Do you think he likes you back? Are you going toPretty Womanhim, make him leave the trade?”
“Kiko!”
Then Elodie started to wail, and Kiko groaned in frustration. “Ignore her, I have too much to ask you. Who’s there? Have you seen Sean yet? Did he get even hotter?”
“Not yet. I’m working up to being social, I just saw Katie Delafield. She’s pregnant again, looks incredible. Oh, and I saw John on the bus.”
