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She tried to calm her racing heartbeat when she knocked on the R.A.’s door. “Millie?” She tried the knob, found the door open, and stepped inside like she usually did. R.A.s always had an open door policy.
Unlike MJ’s tiny room, Millie’s was basically a suite, with a small living room and a private bedroom. Crossing the living room to get to the bedroom door, MJ knocked again. “Millie?” She tried the knob again and found it unlocked.
The first thing she saw was a pair of bare feet. Too large to belong to any girl.
Naked legs then a small white towel wrapped around muscular hips.
To-die-for abs.
MJ’s head slowly lifted.
“H-Helios?”
She couldn’t believe it was him, so much so that she rubbed her eyes repeatedly. Was this a Helios Andreadis withdrawal symptom? It had been a week since she last saw him, and maybe this was her heart’s way of telling MJ that it couldn’t really exist without seeing Helios for long periods of time.
MJ held her breath when she opened her eyes.
He was still there.
Helios was still there, and oh, her heart. It was starting to race and ache at the same time again. She pressed a hand against her chest, hard, hoping it was enough to calm her heart down. Why was it that every time she looked at Helios Andreadis, she wanted to cry and smile at the same time? It was like looking at a dying sun. Her life would end when it stopped shining, but at the same time, all she could think of were the best memories she had with it.
Helios kept himself still, afraid to do anything that might cause her to run away. Looking at her, he thought of how young she was and how much she had already endured in so little time. Ever since he found out about her past, there hadn’t been a night when he hadn’t castigated himself for making her feel like she had to earn his love.
“Y-you cut your hair.” MJ’s words, tinged with confusion, had him looking up.
Seeing her wide-eyed gaze made Helios feel self-conscious about his newly shorn hair, and he touched the neatly shaved sides of his hair gingerly. “Looks bad?”
“N-no, but...” MJ dug her fingers into her palms, the only way she could prevent herself from reaching out to touch his hair as well. “Why did you have it cut?”
Ah. It seemed that Yuri hadn’t told her everything about him then. He said lightly, “It just felt like it was time.”
“I...see.” She touched her chest again, hoping her heart would be a lot calmer now, but it wasn’t. She glanced down and caught sight of a pair of pink bedroom slippers. A gasp spilled past her lips as MJ remembered exactly where they were. “Where’s M-Millie?” Oh God, she would die if this meant Helios and Millie had hooked up. Without thinking, she rose to her toes, trying to see past Helios.
It took a while for Helios to catch on. When he did, he didn’t know if he was furious or exasperated. “Are you serious, brat?” He grabbed her shoulders and gave her one good shake so MJ would look at him. “I love you.Why the hell would you think I’d be interested in another woman?”
“I...” She had no idea what to say. She was still reeling from hearing Helios saying those three words with such ease.
The look of stunned disbelief in her gaze made him grit out again, “I love you. I loveyou,MJ Cartwright. I love you, brat.”
Her heartbeat had raced so fast at his words her mind couldn’t keep up with it. All she knew was that hearing Helios say he loved her wasn’t going to help her move on.
Her silence was killing him, and he said tautly, “Say something.”
A hysterical laugh threatened to escape her.Say something? He was the most taciturn man she had ever met, the kind of man who would rather walk barefoot on burning coal and swim in a pool of lava than say something emotional. And here he was, telling her “I love you” repeatedly.
He was the man who could take her to heaven and hell with just one kiss, the man who she had so stupidly risked her life for because she wanted to prove to him that she loved him. She would be the world’s greatest fool to believe him now, right? It was just his guilt talking, his honor and conscience forcing him to make it up to her.
She squeezed her eyes shut. It was the only way to concentrate. Taking several deep breaths, she prayed to God that the first thing she said had nothing to do with those three words.
“MJ—”
“Have you been working out?”
Oh. God. Oh. God. Oh Gooooood. Come on. Why do you have to answer my prayer like that?
It took another full second for Helios to understand what MJ was saying. He didn’t think he had lost a couple of IQ points along the way since MJ had left him. It was only because the things she was saying were so completely unpredictable—
The realization ofwhyMJ had said those words hit him.
