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“And do what?”

“Watch you.”

She tries to hide her smile but it sneaks out when she asks, “For how long?”

“As long as I need to.”

All her joy disappears. “You don’t need to.”

I worded that wrong.

“As long as I want to.”

“But you’re at work—”

“Goodnight, Kota.”

Eyes fluttering to a close, she says, “Goodnight, Khaos. I’ll see you when I wake up.”

“You’ll feel me before that,” I promise her.

That blissed-out smile returns.

It’s not long before it softens, along with the rest of her features.

When the door to the break/locker room opens, I quickly hit Mute.

“You’re up,” Dex tells me.

“I’ll be out in a minute.”

“They want you out there now.”

I stare my friend down until he shakes his head, mumbling something about phone sex before leaving.

What are they gonna do, start without me? I’d like to see them try.

I watch the princess sleep for a few more minutes, feeling myself relax as well.

It’s a different sensation than I’m used to before these things. Usually, I’m listening to high-energy music that gets my body ready for battle.

When Dex comes back, his face has red splotches.

“Dude, come on. It’s time.”

Obviously someone’s been giving him shit. Since he’s my friend, not my manager, and he’s here voluntarily, I oblige this time, standing and turning off my camera. I give him my phone on my way past with instructions not to push anything on the screen.

He looks at a sleeping Kota and frowns.

“She knows?”

“No.”

“What if she wakes up and sees—”

“Both the sound and camera are off.”

“But what if I accidentally unmute it in my pocket?”