"Aurora was staring at the screen, then turned to me with wide eyes. "Is this... you?"

Play dumb. My first thought was to say "Who’s you?" but that’d be too obvious. Not that dumb, Rome.

"What makes you think that’s me?" I kept my voice carefully neutral while watching the security footage continue to play. The camera angle wasn’t great, but it clearly showed someone with white hair stretching an arm across the convenience store and opening what looked like a glowing portal.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

"White hair. Your build. And..." she pointed at the screen, "that’s definitely your face when you turn toward the camera."

The footage switched to the store owner—Mrs. Saito—being interviewed outside her shop.

"I’ve never seen him before," she said firmly to the reporter. "Just a random good man who stopped my poor shop from being robbed. Being a Good Samaritan should not be punished. We know heroes can’t be there all the time."

Bless that woman. I made a mental note to send her a gift basket. Maybe two.

"That’s what I’m saying," the reporter agreed. "But there are others who disagree."

The screen cut to a man with slicked-back blonde hair and an expensive suit standing outside what looked like a radio station. The caption identified him as "Cole Conrad Calloway – Concerned Citizen/Podcaster."

"This vigilante is nothing but a menace!" Calloway’s face had turned red with indignation. "He’s taking work from real heroes who follow proper protocols! What if a civilian had been hurt? What if his reckless behavior had escalated the situation? We have a system for a reason!"

Aurora muted the TV and turned to me. "Rome. That’s clearly you."

I ran a hand through my hair, buying time. The drain between us pulsed slightly—she was cycling Essentia unconsciously, probably from the adrenaline spike.

"And if it was me?"

"You used multiple abilities!" She stood up, pacing now. "Stretching, portals, something that looked like gravity manipulation... that’s not how adaptive-types work! Adaptive-types develop one ability that changes based on circumstances, not multiple distinct powers!"

"Maybe I’m a special case."

"Special case? Rome, you’re using unregistered abilities! That’s a federal—"

"They’re registered." I cut her off. "Officially on file with the NEA."

She stopped pacing. "But the drain... what you did with my hand... that’s not in any adaptive-type category I’ve ever studied."

"Like I said. Special case."

Aurora sat back down, closer this time. The popcorn bowl had been knocked aside during our game session, removing that barrier between us. I could feel her warmth, see the rapid rise and fall of her chest as she processed what she’d just witnessed.

"Are you in trouble?" she asked quietly.

Something in her voice made my chest tighten. Concern. Not judgment.

"Probably," I admitted. "But not legally. My father has lawyers for that sort of thing."

"Your father..." she trailed off, then her eyes widened. "Wait, D’Angelo. As in Angelo Enterprises?"

"The very same."

"So you’re rich."

"Technically, my father’s rich. I’m just the disappointing heir."

Aurora leaned back into the couch, digesting this new information. "You’re a vigilante billionaire heir with multiple girlfriends and unregistered—sorry, ’special case’—abilities."

When she put it that way, it sounded ridiculous. I laughed despite myself.

"You make me sound like the villain in a bad superhero movie."

"Are you?" The question was direct, her green eyes searching mine.

"No." I held her gaze. "I’m just trying to figure things out, same as anyone."

"By stopping armed robberies."

"I was buying groceries and they came in waving guns. What was I supposed to do, let them shoot the place up?"

Aurora’s expression softened. "No, of course not. I just..." She gestured at the TV where they were still showing clips of the incident. "This is a lot to take in."

My phone buzzed again. Mera texting this time.

We’re on our way back. How bad is it?

I typed a quick response: Bad enough. Aurora’s here watching it with me.

Three dots appeared immediately, then: WHAT

Followed by: Don’t do anything stupid until we get there

I put my phone down to find Aurora watching me. "Mera?"

"Yeah."

"Should I go?" She glanced toward the door.

"Do you want to go?"

She bit her lower lip. "I feel like I should."

"That’s not what I asked."

The air between us felt charged again, that same electricity from the coffee shop, from when I’d held her hand. The drain hummed just beneath my skin, wanting to open, to taste her again.

"No," she finally admitted. "I don’t want to go yet."

I moved closer, carefully, like approaching a deer that might bolt. "Good."

Aurora didn’t back away. "What are you going to do about the news?"

"Nothing," I shrugged. "Deny it was me. Let my father’s PR team handle it. Move on."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

She shook her head slightly. "You really are different, aren’t you?"

"Different how?"

"From most people. Most people would be freaking out right now."

I smiled. "Who says I’m not freaking out on the inside?"

"Are you?"

"Nah." I leaned back, projecting confidence I didn’t entirely feel. "This is barely a four on my crisis scale."

"What’s a ten?"

"My father finding out I was sleeping with both Mera and Cheon simultaneously last night."

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed pink. "Why would you tell me that?"

"Because you asked what a ten on my crisis scale was."

"I didn’t ask for details!"

"Sorry." I wasn’t sorry. "Too much?"

Aurora looked away, but not quickly enough to hide her reaction. The flush had spread down her neck, and her breathing had quickened slightly. Not disgust. Interest.

Interesting.

"You know," I said casually, "you never told me why you wanted to talk to me in the first place. Before all this news stuff."

"Oh." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Right."

"So?"

"I was curious."

"About?"

"About what happened when you held my hand. About how you could have two girlfriends. About why everyone talks about you." She paused. "About why I can’t stop thinking about you."

Well. There it was.

"And now?"

"Now I’m even more confused," she admitted. "You’re nothing like what I expected."

"What did you expect?"

"A shallow, rich playboy who collects girls like trophies."

I laughed. "And what am I instead?"

"I don’t know yet." Her eyes met mine.

"But I want to find out."

The way she said it, with those eyes looking straight into mine—I almost thought she was about to close the distance herself. "I want to find out."

My body moved on instinct. I leaned forward, watching her pupils dilate as I got closer. The drain between us pulsed with anticipation, already tasting that summer morning flavor that belonged to her alone. Her breath hitched slightly, and her lips parted.

I was maybe two inches from her mouth when she placed a hand on my chest.

"As friends," Aurora said quickly. "I want to be friends, Rome."

I froze, processing those four words like they were written in ancient hieroglyphics. Friends? After everything she just said about not being able to stop thinking about me? After that charged moment with the video game? After admitting she wanted to find out who I really was?

"Friends," I repeated, pulling back slowly.

"Yes." Her voice was steady, but her heart wasn’t. I could feel it racing through the drain, still open between us. "I think that would be best."

Best for who? I wanted to ask. Because her Essentia was practically screaming the opposite of what her mouth was saying. I’d tasted enough women’s energy by now to know the difference between polite interest and genuine attraction. Aurora was definitely in category two.

"Sure," I said instead, leaning back into the couch with casual ease that I absolutely did not feel. "Friends."

She visibly relaxed, which was almost insulting. "Thank you for understanding."

"Of course. I have plenty of friends."

"Really? Who?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Shit.

"Mera and Cheon," I finally said.

Aurora raised an eyebrow. "You just told me you were sleeping with both of them last night."

"Friends with benefits."

"Right." She didn’t look convinced. "Anyone else?"

I thought about it. Noel and I had progressed from outright hostility to grudging teamwork, but I wouldn’t call us friends. Usagi seemed nice, but we’d spoken maybe twice outside of work. The rest of Class 1-A barely registered as acquaintances.

"I’m between friendship cycles at the moment," I admitted.

She laughed, and the sound did things to me that weren’t friendly at all. "Well, now you have me."

"Lucky me."

Aurora tilted her head, studying me. "You sound disappointed."

"Not at all. I love being friend-zoned after you admitted you can’t stop thinking about me."

Her cheeks flushed pink again. "That’s not what I meant."

"What did you mean, then?"

"I meant..." she trailed off, frustration evident in her furrowed brow. "I don’t know what I meant. This is all very confusing for me."

I sighed. "Look, Rora. I get it. You’ve got Nolan, even if he’s too dense to realize what he has. You’re not trying to complicate your life by starting something with me."

"Exactly!"

"But," I continued, maintaining eye contact, "you’re also attracted to me. And curious about what this is." I gestured between us, indicating the drain that still hummed quietly beneath our skin.

Her eyes widened slightly. "I..."

"You can deny it if you want, but we both know the truth."

Aurora looked away, focusing on something out the window. "It doesn’t matter what I feel. I have commitments."

"To a guy who won’t even hold your hand in public?"