It was supposed to be just another night. Just another knock at her door. Another hour of skin and sweat and silence after. Ainsley hadn’t planned anything special. She hadn’t shaved her legs. She hadn’t worn lingerie. She was in a hoodie and nothing underneath when she opened the door, and Kade was standing there, eyes darker than usual, hair tousled like he’d run his fingers through it too many times on the way over. He didn’t speak. Just stared at her like something was breaking apart inside him. She leaned against the doorframe, one eyebrow raised, trying to act unaffected, but her stomach twisted because something was off. Different.
“You coming in?” she asked eventually.
He nodded and stepped inside.
She shut the door.
No kiss. No usual press of bodies or hands under clothes. He
