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“If it helps, I’ve been thinking about it as well,” Kassian says, much less embarrassed. “I wasn’t sure if we were ready for that though.”

“Well, I’m ready whenever you guys are,” Nix says, sitting up once more. Just then, the machines with our clothes come to a stop. The three of us stand up, making our way over to the machines. We start pulling everything out, tossing them onto the table by our baskets so we can start folding them and putting them in the baskets.

“I appreciate you waiting for me to be ready,” I say, picking up a shirt. It’s Nix’s. I fold it carefully, setting it in the blue basket. “We’ll have to make a stop at a drugstore for supplies.”

“I think I would rather shave my head than go and buy condoms at a store,” Nix says with a dramatic groan. “Why does sex have to be so embarrassing?”

“Balances out how fucking good it feels,” Kassian says with a snicker.

I pick up one of Kassian’s sweaters, careful with how I fold it so it doesn’t get wrinkled or creased. His clothes are much more delicate than Nix’s or my own. I want to take care of it, the same way he takes care of it when he’s folding it himself.

This feels so incredibly domestic, the three of us washing our clothes, folding them together, making small talk while we do it. I’m suddenly hit straight in the chest with emotion. This could be the rest of my life. This could be what my forever looks like. I’m no longer alone but even better, I’m with people I can just exist with. I find myself smiling as I grab the next piece of clothing only to freeze.

Holding up the pink pair of panties, I turn towards Kassian. “Are these yours?”

Kassian looks up, his eyes widening in surprise. “No,” he says slowly. “All my panties are black.”

I drop the panties onto the table. “Who do these belong to?”

“Oh my gods,” Nix blurts out. “No fucking way.”

“What? What do you know?”

“We took a load of Mars’ clothes too! These were in his clothes!”

“Oh my fucking gods,” Kassian says, his eyes bugging out of his head. He grabs the pair, tossing them into Mars’ pile.

“Do you think they’re his?”

Kassian shakes his head. “There’s no way those would fit him. He’s got a fat ass and these would have to be for someone a bit more slim.”

“Holy shit. Maybe it’s his mystery girlfriend?” Nix asks, going back to folding his clothes.

“We have to ask him about it, right?”

I shake my head. “That would make it seem like we’re going through his clothes in a weird way.”

“I mean, we kinda are,” Nix counters with a shrug. “If he didn’t want us to see the panties, he should have made sure they weren’t in his clothes when he gave us the basket.”

“Mistakes happen,” I say. “They must have been left behind the last time his partner came to visit him.”

“I still cannot believe we haven’t been able to pin down this mystery person,” Kassian says, tossing a pair of socks into my gray basket. “How do they manage to get into his room, they fuck all night, and then we just don’t catch them in the morning? Plus, Finn is always just mysteriously gone? Something’s not adding up.”

The answer feels so obvious and yet no matter how I think about it, my mind still comes out with a blank. Instinctively, my right leg pops out and I kick the bundle of socks that Nix just dropped. He quickly catches it with a loud cheer.

“Oh,” Kassian murmurs, the tips of his ears suddenly pink.

“What?”

“So, remember how I woke up hard this morning?”

“Yeah?”

“It was because I saw that moment in a dream last night and I found it super hot.”

I raise my brow. “And seeing it for real?”

“Still super hot,” Kassian says with a nod. “We might have to make quick work of these clothes so we can get back to our room.”