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“What are we doing?” he whisper-shouts, following my lead.
I throw him an incredulous look and push him into the bedroom, slamming the door shut in a rush. “What do you think I’m doing?” I ask, my voice borderline hysterical. “We’re both half-naked!Get. Dressed.”
He chuckles and shakes his head as he follows me into the dressing room, moving much slower than I’d like him to. “Pippy,” he calls, “lock my bedroom door and brew some fresh coffee.”
“Certainly, Lex,” the same voice I heard earlier says, and I turn, my eyes wide.
“You named your AI Smart Home SystemPippy?”
He shrugs. “She kind of acts like a puppy most of the time, but that seemed too… I don’t know.”
I try my hardest to hold back my laughter, but a soft giggle makes its way past my lips, nonetheless. That’s so ridiculously silly, and it’s a lot more like the Lex I’ve gotten to know than the man he pretends to be.
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you that all those clothes on that side are for you. You were too preoccupied to even notice last night. Raven designed them for you after she got your measurements at your dress fitting.”
My mouth pops open in surprise, and he grins as he takes a yellow dress off the hanger and hands it to me. “I’ve been dying to see you in this.”
Lex grabs a white t-shirt and pulls it over his head with ease while I shrug off the shirt I’m wearing in a rush. He smiles at me when I step into the dress and moves closer. “Relax, baby,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to my shoulder before helping me zip up the dress. “You look beautiful.”
“How are you not nervous?” I ask, surprised by his relaxed demeanor.
“Oh, I am,” he says, a shadow crossing his face. “I hate surprises, and I don’t usually let anyone but my siblings and my grandmother into this house. However, I told you that I’d try to be the man you need, so that’s what I’ll do. I’ll try, Raya. I’ll try to fight my instincts, my usual responses. They are your parents, and they’re clearly worried about you. I can understand that.”
I turn and rise to my tiptoes to kiss his cheek. He sighs and grabs my hand. “I wish we could finish what we started in the kitchen,” he complains. “But instead, we’d better go greet your parents before they hunt us down.”
I smile and let him lead me out of the room, my heart soaring when I find Mom sitting on the sofa while Dad paces in front ofher. They both look up when we walk in, and the worry on their faces diminished just a touch.
“Raya,” Mom says, jumping to her feet. She rushes up to me and rubs my arms, her gaze roaming over my body. Some of the panic in her eyes eases when I smile, and she moves to hug me tightly, before offering Lex a hug too.
“Hi Dad,” I say as I walk up to him. He looks emotional and opens his arms for me, wrapping me in a tight hug.
“Is everything okay?” he asks quietly, his voice barely above a whisper.
I nod and rest my head on his chest, mom’s story echoing through my mind. My stomach turns when I suddenly realize why they’re both so anxious this morning. They must’ve been worried Lex hurt me last night, and I can guess the reason why they’d think something like that. I force a smile as I step back, my heart breaking for Mom all over again.
Lex walks up to us and shakes Dad’s hand, his smile sincere. “It’s good to see you both,” he says, his expression friendly. “Would you care to join Raya and me for breakfast?”
My parents exchange glances and nod before following Lex to the dining area, where several robots are already setting the table, their wheels carrying them back and forth. “That’s an impressive feat of technology,” Dad grumbles, like he doesn’t want to admit it but can’t help himself. “But these are all jobs humans could’ve had. Doesn’t your family employ plenty of household staff?”
Lex pauses and smiles tightly as he pulls a chair out for me. I look up at him as I sit down, noting the tension in his expression. He doesn’t say anything as he pulls out Mom’s chair for her, seating her next to me. “My siblings do, but I don’t like having people in my home,” he eventually says quietly. “My robots will never betray me — they’ll never sell a story to the press, nor willthey ever harm me or my family. They’ll only ever do what I’ve programmed to do.”
I reach for his hand over the table, and he looks up at me in surprise as he entwines our fingers. Something about his forlorn expression compels me to offer him quiet support, consolation. It doesn’t go unnoticed by my parents, who both glance at our joined hands, and then at each other.
Mom smiles, genuinely, for the first time today. “I think it’s very impressive, Lexington,” she says, throwing him one of those sweet indulgent looks I know all too well. “They look very cute too, with… what’s that called now? Theemojifaces?”
Lex’s cheeks redden just a little, and he smiles. “Thank you, ma’am.”
She grins at him and places her elbow on the table, her fist underneath her chin. “Oh, honey, if you’d like, you can call me Mom. You’re my son-in-law now, after all.”
Lex’s eyes grow impossibly wide, and dad huffs, not at all impressed by Mom’s acceptance of Lex. I, on the other hand, throw her a grateful smile, hope sparking in my chest. When I found out he approached me under false pretenses, I wasn’t sure what our marriage would look like. I didn’t dare believe him when he said he’dtry, but so far, his actions are speaking louder than words could.
He’s trying, and I will too.
Twenty-Seven
Raya
My fingers brush over the wedding ring around my necklace as I sit down next to Adam in our usual study spot — the picnic benches just outside the library. My ring is safely tucked underneath the dress I’m wearing today, but somehow, I feel like I have the wordsJust Marriedwritten all over my forehead. It’s odd to be back on campus just a few days after getting married. It feels like everything has changed, but simultaneously, it’s like nothing has.
