She squealed in surprise, sounding like a pig being slaughtered to her own ears.

  "Hey, thanks for bringing the food, man." Trying to sound like a bro, Cage? Katherine felt him press his head in the crook of her neck and almost grew scared that he had given his identity away. But then she felt the material of his hoodie and sighed. Thank god he wore this and not something else.

  "Uh, yeah……" Nathaniel stared, dumbfounded. She supposed her clothes didn't say much about what they had been doing either. It screamed of easy access.

  "I'm starving," Cage whined. The vibration of his voice against her skin made her think he was purring.

  'Cat Cage sounds like he wants to eat me.' She thought. 'I don't mind one bit. I will offer up a limb if he wants me to.' As she was thinking this, she looked up at Nathaniel and saw his wide-eyed expression. She felt a little bad for him but she had made her disinterest clear from the very beginning. She was definitely not the kind to lead people on.

  "Thanks a lot, Nathaniel," Katherine said, making sure she used his full name and not the nickname he went by usually. Maintain distance.

  One arm left her waist and she saw it disappear behind her before he produced some notes and gave it. "Hey man, thanks so much." For some reason, Nathaniel took the extra money and then stepped back. He probably realized that he was better off being compensated with money when his heart was broken.

  "Bye," he said, his eyes darting between Cage and Katherine. With the goodbyes said, Katherine closed the door. She hurriedly turned to him and saw his expression.

  "What was that?" Katherine had somehow thought that he would be upset but he simply looked concerned.

  "He is the bartender at a place we frequent and he asked me out." Cage's frown deepened. "Angelina called him when I went to watch your movie and he fell asleep. We had a long conversation about why I couldn't accept his affections."

  "And now he appeared on your doorstep." He flung the hoodie open and then sighed. "Do you need me to fend him off?" She chuckled at his response.

  "I think your little act did well enough." She paused and looked at his hair. "You didn't have to jeopardize your identity like that. Even though your face was hidden, the hood could have come off any second and your hair is a dead giveaway."

  "Well, you could have just flaunted me on your arm. I would have loved that." He winked at her. "I really hate it that I couldn't introduce myself." He made a face. She took his wrist and sat down on the couch. Pulling out the boxes, Katherine handed him the plate and plastic cutlery.

  "Eat," she commanded as she opened her box and dug in. She was beyond famished. "I know you are frustrated. I am too. But it is too early to come out. You also need to talk to your people and make sure we do everything right."

  "It sucks, but I think it worked. He won't be asking you out anymore." He growled and then pressed his lips against her cheek. She giggled and smacked his shoulder.

  "You are cute when you are jealous, but beware, I am not the kind who likes overly jealous guys." He pouted.

  "And here I thought I would pee on your leg and make sure the world knows you are mine. Way to pour water on my plans, little girl."

  "Cage, you don't need to worry about me. Shouldn't I-" he hurried to stop her mid-sentence.

  "No. There is nothing you need to worry about. I am yours completely. If someone comes between us you can sucker punch them. I will bail you out of jail." He looked so sure that she had to laugh. He haad set his plate aside and moved forward to take hers away too. "As ridiculous as it sounds, I am not capable of looking at other people anymore."

  Katherine stared at him with pleasure. He knew exactly what he needed to say. She couldn't help but wonder if these lines came from movie scripts that he had received and he was ratting them off to her. Not that she cared. She could see that he meant it. As long as he was telling the truth, did it matter where the content came from?

  As her eyes filled with tears, she hurled herself into his arms. He held her tightly in his arms, swaying from side to side, comforting her for all he was worth. He would kiss the side of her head, the top, and then pull back suddenly to press a peck on her forehead. She casually stuck to him until her stomach growled and then laughed in unison.

  "How am I supposed to let you go now?" She whimpered softly. It had been just a day and she was attached to his presence. Habits formed over months, but here she was sure that it had happened in the span of a few hours. She wouldn't survive the next three days. Damn it. The weekend seemed too far away.

  "I know how you feel. It feels like once I leave, we will never meet again or that I will wake up from a wonderful dream." If that happened, he would be crushed. How would he survive? Would they have been happier if their insecurities weren't tying them down?

  Possibly.

  'Katherine, wake up!' the voice in her head said. 'Guys like Cage don't exist. This is just a figment of your imagination.' The evil voice was overwhelming at times, but now that she was in his arm, soaking in his warmth, it seemed to buzz in her head without overwhelming her.

  "This is real, Katherine." He squeezed her. "I'll come back in two days and we will spend the vacation together. Believe me, you won't be able to kick me from your side after that." Sounding so proud, Cage looked at her.

  "You better not leave."

  'Not unless you want to. I would let you go then.'