Turning slowly, Luke found Lauren already sitting beside him.

She rested one hand against her cheek while watching him with open amusement. A plate of toast and eggs sat on the table beside two cups of coffee, but Luke had not heard her approach or set any of it down.

He flinched hard enough to make the sofa creak, prompting a quiet chuckle from Lauren.

"Uh, the post..." Luke said, glancing between her and the laptop.

"Mhm." Lauren leaned forward and looked at the screen. "I read it."

"You already read it?"

"Mhm."

Luke glanced toward the kitchen, trying to work out how long she had been sitting there.

"You must have been here longer than I thought."

"Mhm."

His eyes narrowed as her smile widened.

"How long?"

Lauren did not answer.

Luke replayed the last few minutes in his head, and heat spread across his face. He was almost certain he had not said anything out loud, yet her expression made him wonder whether she had somehow heard every improper thought in his head.

He swallowed, and that finally broke her composure.

Lauren burst out laughing and leaned against him, wrapping both arms around one of his while her shoulders shook with amusement.

"Lauren..."

"I’m sorry," she said, though she did not sound sorry at all. "You looked so serious."

"I was working."

"Of course."

"I was."

"I know."

Her tone made it obvious that she did not believe him. Before Luke could argue, Lauren leaned up and kissed his cheek, silencing him at once.

Her lips touched him for only a moment, yet that was enough to scatter his thoughts all over again. When she pulled back, the laughter in her eyes had softened.

"Never blame yourself for having impure thoughts," she said.

Luke looked away. "I wasn’t..."

"You were."

"I was trying to write the post."

"And thinking about me."

He opened his mouth, considered lying, and gave up almost at once. Lauren had always been too good at reading him.

"A little," he admitted.

"A little?"

When Luke looked at her, she raised one eyebrow.

He sighed. "Fine. More than a little."

"Mhm. That sounds more honest."

Instead of teasing him again, Lauren ran her thumb over the back of his hand.

"There’s nothing wrong with desiring the person you love," she said. "Mama has plenty of impure thoughts too."

Luke’s head snapped toward her, but Lauren looked perfectly calm.

"You can’t just say something like that."

"Why not?"

"Because now I’m going to wonder what kind of thoughts you mean."

"That sounds like your problem."

"You did that on purpose."

"Perhaps."

She shifted closer, allowing the side of her breast to press against his arm. Luke tried not to react, but his sudden stillness only made Lauren’s smile grow.

Then her expression softened.

"I want you to desire me, Luke."

He looked at her.

"I also want mornings like this," Lauren continued. "I want you beside me at the café, and I want you to trust me enough to stop hiding everything behind that stubborn face."

Her fingers slipped between his.

"Your impure thoughts are welcome, but I want your affection and honesty too."

Luke stared at their joined hands.

His thoughts that morning had revolved almost entirely around Lauren’s body and how badly he wanted to touch it. He had known there was more between them, but desire had drowned out everything else.

Lauren was not merely giving him permission to want her.

She wanted him to become part of her life.

The realization settled somewhere deeper than the heat she had stirred inside him. Sex might come later, and Luke still wanted it badly enough to embarrass himself, but Lauren expected their relationship to remain after the excitement of the first kiss faded.

She wanted the ordinary mornings too.

"I want those things," Luke said.

Lauren studied him. "All of them?"

His gaze briefly dropped toward her breasts before returning to her face.

"Yes."

The corner of her mouth lifted.

"That was a very honest answer."

Luke felt his face warming again. "You said you wanted honesty."

"I do."

She kissed his cheek once more, then released his arm and nodded toward the laptop.

"Now post the announcement before you rewrite it for the twentieth time."

"It was only the fourth."

"The deleted drafts say otherwise."

Luke stared at her. "You checked those too?"

Lauren picked up her coffee and smiled innocently.

Muttering under his breath, Luke clicked the button and published the announcement. The post appeared on the café’s page, and almost immediately, the first reaction appeared beneath it.

Then another followed.

Luke refreshed the page and watched several familiar names gather beneath the announcement. Some customers wished Lauren and the employees well. Others said they would return as soon as the café reopened, while one regular complained that he had been forced to drink terrible coffee somewhere else that morning.

Lauren laughed quietly at that comment.

"He says that about every café except mine."

"Maybe yours is the only good one."

"That sounded suspiciously biased."

"I work there. I’m allowed to be biased."

"You also live with the owner."

Luke looked at her. "That too."

The casual answer made Lauren’s smile soften. Only a short time ago, admitting that he lived with her had made him sound apologetic, as though he expected someone to accuse him of taking advantage of her kindness.

Now he said it as though it were simply part of his life.

Another message appeared from a regular asking when the café would reopen. Lauren read it without speaking, and the warmth in her expression slowly faded.

Although the building had already been repaired, the announcement made yesterday’s attack feel more real. The café where they had spent so many normal days had become the center of a battle, and neither of them fully understood what had caused it.

Lauren continued looking at the screen while her fingers tightened slightly around her cup.

The café meant much more to her than a paycheck. She had poured years of work into it until it became part of her routine, her independence, and her life. The restoration hero had returned the building to its previous condition, but that did not erase the memory of watching it fall apart around them.

Nor could the repaired walls erase the memory of overturned tables, terrified customers, and Luke standing between her and danger.

Luke noticed the change in her expression and placed his hand over hers.

"We’ll open it again soon."

Lauren turned toward him.

"Even if we need another day," he continued. "We’ll check everything, talk to the employees, and get it running properly."

A small smile returned to her face.

"We?"

Luke hesitated for only a second before nodding.

"Yes. We."

Lauren turned her hand beneath his and laced their fingers together.

"I like hearing that."

"So do I."

He meant it more than he could easily explain. Helping at the café had started as a way to repay Lauren for giving him somewhere to live, but it no longer felt like a temporary arrangement.

The café had become the first place where people expected him to return, and Lauren had become the first person who genuinely wanted him beside her.

Luke looked at their joined hands.

"We should probably tell the employees today," he said. "They might be worried about what happens next."

"I’ll message them after breakfast."

"I can help."

Lauren studied him. "You know you don’t have to spend the whole morning working."

"The café is closed. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do."

"You sound like me."

"I’m not sure whether that’s a compliment."

"It is when I say it."

Luke smiled despite himself.

They remained close while the comments continued appearing beneath the announcement. Each message carried another reminder that the café would still be there once the official questions ended and their lives settled into something resembling normal.

For a brief moment, the attack, the strange headsets, and the authorities waiting to question them all seemed far away. Luke could almost imagine spending the rest of the morning beside Lauren, answering messages and preparing the café to reopen.

Then Lauren’s phone vibrated against the table.

Her fingers tightened around his as she looked at the screen, and the small smile disappeared from her face.