"I… really care about you, too?" The confession came out as a question from her mouth. She slapped her head when she realized what she had done. She had made it sound like she was forced to tell him that she liked him too! Could she be more of an idiot?

  Not even if she tried.

  "I didn't mean it that way!" she stuttered. "I really like you and want to spend time with you. You just caught me off-guard." She blushed, now having said too much.

  "I know what you meant," he chuckled. "But thank you for the reassurance. I am just as nervous as you," he confessed gently.

  "You? Nervous? I can't imagine such a scenario." She looked at the clock on her wall and realized that Lily was going to be home any minute. She stared at the door for a second, before taking the conversation to her room. Angelina had gone to another city for a shoot for a jewelry brand and wouldn't be home for the night, so there was nothing she had to worry about up until then.

  "I get all jittery when it comes to you. I have never felt this way about anyone before." Her eyes widened in shock.

  "No one has ever made you…" she trailed off. "They mustn't have liked you enough to incite such emotions in you," she said smugly.

  "Does that mean you like me a lot more than anyone else on the planet? I would argue that you love me, then."

  'Maybe I do,' she thought, confusing herself. Was she in love with him? She was playing this game to make it happen, it wouldn't be a problem if that was the case, to begin with.

  She just decided to figure things out on her own.

  "Do you have a problem with that, Mister?" she asked confidently.

  "Not a single bit, love. I would be honored to reciprocate your feelings." She surreptitiously sucked in a breath.

  "I will go now. I have some work to attend to," she said quickly, trying to hide how shy she was. She didn't fool him though. He hummed in response and then waited for her to cut the call. There was silence on the line as both unwilling to part, listened to the other breathe.

  On hearing the front door unlock, Katherine finally came to her senses and guiltily cut the call abruptly. The door to her room opened slightly and Lily's head peaked through.

  "Kitty?" she called, making the person in question jump. "Did I catch you doing something inappropriate?" she asked with a quirk of her brows.

  "No," she squirmed. "I have something to discuss with you. I need you to listen carefully. Get changed first… then we will talk."

  Around five minutes later, her friend came into the room in a pair of shorts and a tank top, all decked up for a sleepover.

  "Are you sleeping in my bed, or what? Why so dressed up?" Katherine asked flatly.

  "Why? Do you have a problem with my staying here, now that you have a sex life?" she wiggled her brows enthusiastically. Katherine snorted and batted the errant hand of her friend away.

  "Today's conversation is done and I need your advice." Her tone was pleading and Lily was stunned by how helpless her friend seemed.

  "What is it?" she asked, concerned.

  "Nothing to be worried about. Ray invited me on a trip to the mountains with him," she said in one breath.

  "You are not going without me," Lily admonished. Katherine gave a small smile at the protectiveness of her friend.

  "I wouldn't go without you. I told him that I would be bringing a friend and he said he would bring one, too. Do you… want to go with me?" she asked softly.

  "As much as I want you to meet this mystery man of yours, I don't think it's wise to meet him at an undisclosed location… that, too so privately. I would say you should meet him in a restaurant or something… go out on a few dates before you jump into going on a vacation with him. It just sounds too rushed to me."

  "I thought about this, too. And I feel comfortable going out with him."

  "I may be a ball buster but I can't handle two men… or serial killers. He hasn't even shown you himself," she said softly, trying to make her friend understand.

  "I know. I know he has qualms about showing himself, but there has been something I have been keeping a secret from you." Katherine bit her lip, trying not to let a smile escape.

  "Did he give you a name or something?" Lily asked with renewed enthusiasm.

  "No, no. He sent a video of himself. I don't want you to watch… but I need to share this with someone or I will explode." A blush rushed to her cheeks, stunning Lily.

  "He better not have sent you a dick pic," she scolded, knowing that her friend would even like that if it came from Ray.

  "Ew. No. He is not a teenager."

  "Honey, you won't believe the number of men who send dick pics to girls even though they are far older than teens. It's frightening how stunted their mental growth can be at times." Lily shrugged.

  "That is nasty." Katherine scrunched her face in disgust.

  "I'm glad your man has better sense than send lewd pictures."

  "He is classy," she said, dramatically flipping her hair.

  "Oh my wannabe diva. Please tell me what he sent you." Lily rolled her eye.

  "This," she whispered as she took her phone out and scrolled through her messages. She handed the phone to her friend and waited for her to play it.

  Lily pressed play and then dropped her mouth open. "Did he dance for you?" and then there was utter silence.

  Her mouth dropped open and she glared at Katherine for a second. When the video ended, she remained stunned, not saying a single word.

  "Are you okay?" Katherine asked, not knowing what her friend thought.