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A week and a half of earth-shattering sex and one look from him like this still has me wanting more.

“Wait. Did you steal a shirt from the deliveries for the shop?” I ask.

I sit up in bed and run my hands down the smart dark purple shirt he’s wearing. We took a trip back to his house the day after he arrived to drop off my jacket, where he packed a bag of mostly tee-shirts, jeans, and underwear before coming back to mine. I know he didn’t pack a shirt. I also know the shirt he’s wearing is the same design I sell, the stock delivered yesterday after the shop closed, and so it’s been stacked near the front door for me to take downstairs today.

He laughs. “I’ll come down later and pay for it.”

“Keep it. Consider it a gift. It looks good on you.”

I throw the covers back and sit up, watching as he gives an appreciative look over my body. He looks like he wants to take his own shirt off and get back into bed with me. As much as I would enjoy it, I know I need to get ready for work. I’ve worked each day since the night he arrived, though it gives me a thrill to know that Joseph is upstairs in my flat, waiting for me when I finish for the day.

I get out of bed and walk towards the bathroom. I shower quickly, smiling to myself as I rub the shower gel onto my body, thinking about Joseph’s hand on my skin last night. There’s no logic behind what we’re doing, and we haven’t really spoken about it either. It’s been sex, reminiscing about the past—the good parts, at least—sex, laughing over dinners, more sex, and wrapping ourselves around each other at bedtime. No discussions about what’s happening, nor what’s going to happen in the future.

I’ve never been a person who believed in the fairy-tale ending. I don’t think I’m built to believe in that, so it isn’t like I’m expecting us to go skipping off into the sunset, holding hands and living happily ever after. I’m not expecting him to gush about me in interviews, or for me to be his plus-one when he walks into a film premiere.

For now, I’m content with what’s happening. Hot sex. Drowning myself in the antivenom.

I wrap myself in the towel before going back to the bedroom. Joseph’s now fully dressed, staring at his phone. I pause by the door for a moment and watch him, struck again by how devastatingly handsome he is. He glances up at me and gives me one of his award-winning smiles.

“Your phone went off when you were in the shower,” he comments.

I pick it up from the bedside table, glancing at the screen. “It’s just Felix.”

“Yeah? Am I still supposed to burn in hell?” Joseph asks, a little laughter in his tone.

I roll my eyes at him. “No. I told you, Felix and I are fine.”

I drop my phone back onto the bedside table. My brunch with Felix had been excruciating. He said everything I knew he would, but he concluded with: “I trust you, and I’ll be here when this blows up in your face.”

“So, I was thinking that maybe it would be a good idea for me and Felix to talk,” Joseph states. He sounds so convinced that I can’t help but laugh.

Talking to Felix would not be a good idea.

“What exactly are you two going to talk about?” I scoff.

“You, obviously.”

I rummage around in my dresser drawer for my underwear, dropping the towel and putting them on before selecting a dress to put on as well. When I’m fully dressed, I turn to him.

“What do you want to say to Felix?” I ask.

“I just want to clear the air. I know he’s your best friend and you love him, so if I need to say anything to him to put his mind at rest about what we’re doing, I’ll do it.”

“Everything is fine with Felix.”

“What about other people in your life?” he asks.

“Everything is fine with them too.”

“No, I mean, have you thought about whether you want me to meet them? Or have you thought about meeting the people in mine?”

Now I’m surprised. We’ve never had a conversation like this before. Even back then, we never talked about the idea of being introduced to families. He would talk about his family, but I never asked to meet them, and he never offered. The only person I ever cared about Joseph meeting was Felix, because he was my most important person. They had a fragile friendship, even if it was short-lived.

Now I think about the idea of Joseph and Felix finding some common ground again. Is that possible? If I can consider moving past what happened with Hannah, can Felix? If I can cross all the bridges that Felix lectured me about over brunch, would that make it easier?

I think about meeting Joseph’s family. What would it be like to meet his mother and father? Would they welcome me with open arms? Joseph used to talk about his family with a serene expression; it was always clear he had a much better relationship with them than I ever had with either of my parents.

I get a vision of introducing Joseph to Verity. To Maddie. How would I ever explain him to them?