Chapter 20

After Ella left, the kitchen felt strangely quieter. Rob and Elise cleaned up breakfast together, moving around each other with the easy familiarity of years spent side by side. Rob washed the dishes while Elise wiped down the counters. The warm morning sun streamed through the windows, catching on the faint scent of Ella’s perfume that still lingered in the air.

“I keep thinking about last night,” Elise said softly, rinsing a coffee mug. “She handles herself so well, but ... it still feels dangerous. That guy could have really hurt her.”

Rob nodded, drying a plate. “She’s clearly trained for it. The way she talked about putting him down, she wasn’t panicked. But yeah ... it’s risky work. She’s strong, though. Physically and mentally. I think that’s part of what draws you to her.”

Elise smiled faintly, a touch of colour rising in her cheeks. “It is. She’s so in control ... but then she let us see the vulnerable side too. It makes her even more attractive.”

They finished cleaning in comfortable silence, both of them still processing the whirlwind of emotions and sensations from the night before. With no firm plans for the day and the pleasant exhaustion still lingering in their bodies, they decided to be lazy. Rob put on a documentary about architecture while Elise curled up against him on the sofa with a book. They dozed on and off, trading lazy kisses and gentle touches, content simply to be close.