It was amusing to see that all the colorful touches in Lex's apartment were from me. I was literally bringing colors to his life.

I loved the design of his place, always had, but now that my own things were scattered here and there, it felt more homely. And not just because those were my belongings.

In the cupboard, there were now a few funny mugs, either with quotes on them, strange shapes, vivid colors, or all of them combined. There also was my set of dishes, which was a joyful and extravagant gift that came from Mexico.

In the living area, not only were there the four drawings of us I'd managed to get for his birthday, but also a red plush blanket on the couch, and a few of my bobblehead collectibles on the shelves. The superhero ones had a special shelf in his red room of nerdiness.

This year, I wasn't lucky enough for my birthday to fall on the weekend. But Lex had convinced me to ditch work altogether, since there was so much to do. I'd eventually caved in, on the count that it was moving day, and not solely to be free on my birthday.

We'd gotten to my old place a little later than expected, getting caught up in his bed for a few hours. But the speedy move of the boxes from that apartment to his had made up for it. After we'd taken care of a few boxes together, Lex had left me alone to cook a surprise for me, while I worked on unpacking more things. We'd made enough room in his walking closet for all my stuff, so I'd taken care of my clothes.

I wasn't allowed to peek at whatever he was doing in the kitchen, but he came to visit me now and then, either helping me with the unpacking, or looking at me as he leaned on the doorframe, something utterly happy in his eyes. The scent of his cooking that reached the bedroom was of no help, and I couldn't guess what he was preparing. Overall, it was appetizing. Apart from that brief moment where something had burned. But regardless of what it would look or taste like, I was immensely touched by his attention.

When he finally called me, I was properly starved. As I entered the living space, I noticed with amusement and delectation that he'd set up a nice table for us, with my pretty plates, a bouquet of purple flowers that hadn't been there before, the fancy wine glasses, and even a few candles. I found him taking something out of the oven, the smell of it mouth watering.

Ugh, he looked like a proper husband with his apron and mittens. There was what looked like tomato sauce on his cheekbone, and the simple sight of it made my heart flutter. Goddammit... He had no rights looking so hot and adorable at the same time.

When he approached with the fuming dish, I wiped away the sauce from his skin. As I engulfed the tip of my thumb in my mouth, I looked down at what he was holding. Instantly, I recognized what it was. "Did you make lasagna?!" I asked with enthusiasm.

"I tried to, at least."

He didn't seem very happy with himself, which only made sense given his perfectionist ways. Once he'd settled it on the table, I looked at it with appetite. It really did look amazing.

"Baby, it looks so good! Lasagna has got to be one of my favorite dishes ever."

"Yeah, I know. You told me a while back. Since I couldn't exactly practice, I've been studying various recipes. But it didn't all go as I planned."

My heart tripled in size in my chest, and I went to chase away his scowl with a thankful kiss. "I'm sure it'll be perfect, Lex."

"Hmm... We'll see."

Well, after a few forkfuls, I had to admit it wasn't perfect. But it was still pretty damn good. It was a little too dry, could have used a little more salt, and the bechamel sauce had tiny lumps. For a first attempt, though, it was impressive.

When I asked for a lasagna refill, I clearly saw the reassurance in his eyes. How could this man even have insecurities? It made no sense to me, since everything about him was utter perfection.

Did he perceive it the same way when I suffered from anxiety and insecurities about us? If he loved me as much as I loved him, which I truly believed he did, he probably found me just as utterly perfect, and didn't see anything wrong with me.

Our three weeks trial had gone smoothly, without a single wave. We were highly compatible together, and living in the same place was easy, like breathing. Although, I did make some efforts, and kept things tidier than I would normally have, made the bed when I was the last one up, making sure there wasn't a wrinkle on the sheets, and tried not to leave a mess behind me in general. But while I was doing it for him, out of respect for his preferences, those were good habits that I was happy to work on.

As for himself, he made time for me, so we could watch a movie together in the evening, indulged in my occasional antics, and had even set up a game consoles station in the small living room. We sometimes played together, and while I didn't have any proof, I was almost certain he purposefully let me win more often than not.

Yes, living with him was a fucking dream, and I was impatient to see what we would be like in a month, a year, a decade... By his side, I would evolve to become the best version of myself I could be, and it was the same for him. We balanced each other out, brought out the best in one another, and would thrive from it all.

Once lunch was over, I joined him in the kitchen to help him clean up. It was an absolute mess – which was understandable given his lack of practice in the kitchen. Lex tried to argue, insisting this wasn't an appropriate birthday activity, but I dismissed his worries. Not only did I not mind, but I also wanted us to move along to more unpacking. We'd eaten much later than usual, and given the boxes we had left, we'd just have enough time for a long bath together if we wanted to be on time for our reservation.

I'd been intrigued by this restaurant for months now, so there was no way I'd let us miss it.

• • •

My expectations were met, above and beyond. Sweet baby Jesus, Moroccan cuisine might move up to become one of my favorites.

Adding to the delicious food, the place was absolutely magnificent, which was why I'd wanted to eat here ever since I'd first glimpsed at the lush decorations of the restaurant. I'd never been to northern Africa, but I could entirely believe I was there. The smell of exotic spices, the music in the background, the decorations... A couple of belly dancers, with beautiful traditional outfits and golden coins that tinted with their every move, were dancing in the room, going from table to table to entertain the clientele.

The place was much fancier than what I was used to, but a birthday girl deserved a treat. Lex had insisted that he'd pay for the dinner, and I hadn't fought him on it. It was complicated to wrap my head around just how rich he really was, but my understanding was that he was filthy rich. Basically, the bill for this would be the equivalent to him as me buying a BigMac – if even. If the man wanted to spoil me for my birthday, I wasn't about to refuse him this. And really, we'd be sharing everything, eventually. Much more than his apartment.

We spent the evening flirting and talking, enjoying each other's proximity. Just like me, he was on a cloud of happiness, thrilled that I was moving in with him. Despite the fact that I'd been crashing his place for over two months now, it still felt surreal. There was something so incredibly official now, and we were both aware of that.

"So... When are you giving me my gift?" I asked with a side glance.

"Once we get home."

"Oh, you're gonna give it to me when we get home?"

He caught the double meaning behind my words, and a bone-meltingly naughty smirk crossed his face. "Yes, Walker. I'll give it to you alright."

His hand slid to my thigh, where it had been spending a good part of our time at this table. Despite that fact, it still sent shivers up my leg, some of which landed in my core, and others reaching all the way to my chest, a little to the left.

For the occasion, I was wearing an electric blue dress that had long sleeves, a turtleneck collar, and that reached mid-thigh. It was hugging me like a second skin, accentuating my pear-shape, displaying my slim waist and wide hips. I hadn't been entirely confident about that choice, but just as I was about to change my mind, dissatisfied by the way it made my ass look huge, Lex had entered the dressing room. The absolute adoration tainted with lust he'd looked at me with had completely changed my perception of the outfit.

Maybe it wasn't right to need the male gaze to boost my confidence. I should be fierce enough to be able to love myself on my own. But it wasn't easy to overcome more than a decade of complexes. I'd never liked my flat chest and oversized behind before, and having a new perception of what I'd always seen as wrong was hard.

But through Lex's eyes, I was seeing myself in a new light, in a way I'd never been able to appreciate all I had to offer. So what if my ass was bigger than what the beauty standards demanded? I didn't mind it, and Lex definitely didn't either. It made up handsomely for my small breasts, which had also never been an issue for him.

Really, fuck everyone else's gaze. Mine and his were the only ones that mattered. Especially mine. But the man was my weakness, and I felt alive when he looked at me like I was a deity fallen upon this earth just for him.

And he'd definitely looked at me like this when he'd found me in this blue dress. So much so that I'd wondered if he'd drag me to bed and peel it off of me, despite the steamy bath we'd just enjoyed together.

His appreciation of my form was making me bold and confident, and I was sitting in the middle of this fancy restaurant with poise, certain I was a sight to behold. None of that would have been possible without the reassurance he'd unknowingly offered. Little by little, I'd learn to love myself through his gaze, and eventually, I wouldn't need him for those little ego boosts. I'd forever appreciate his enjoyment of my body, but I would know I was the bomb on my own, without needing him to confirm it.

So, in my skin-tight blue dress, I was brazenly flaunting my curves, feeling like a queen with her king by her side, enjoying the shit out of my birthday. Today had been a little unconventional, but it was, without a doubt, my favorite birthday ever. And he hadn't even given me my gift yet.

It was just the two of us, since it was a weekday. But this weekend, we were driving down to Portland, and I would celebrate with my family, Kate, and maybe a couple of old friends as well. In the meantime, I had Lex to myself, and I rather enjoyed it.

We ended the fabulous dinner with sweets, and I ate most of them, since North African pastries were apparently too sugary for his tastes. From his own words, he liked their flavor much better on my lips, as we'd often share a kiss.

Even from my point of view, we were sickeningly in love. But I didn't care one bit.

"Alright, time to go home," I declared after I'd finished the last gazelle horn.

"Eager to get it, are we?"

"Yes. Both the gift and the rest."

Curiosity over what he'd come up with as a gift had been eating me from the inside for weeks now. I couldn't wait to see what his genius brain had created, positively impatient to discover it. Also, since I'd been in the room while he'd gotten dressed, I knew he was wearing nothing under his dress pants. When I'd pointed it out, watching him slipping on his pants without any underwear, he'd playfully answered this was one of our traditions, wasn't it?

He signaled one of the servers for the check, and I took my phone out. I hadn't even looked at it for hours now, too entertained to even feel the need to. When I saw I had several missed calls and messages from Oli, a worry quickly took over.

One message wouldn't have worried, even if he'd used the secure encrypted app we had both installed – which he had. But there were a dozen messages, which brought my anxiety up at once, twisting my guts into tight knots.

Lex caught my change of mood instantly, furrowing his brow and bending toward me. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. Oli messaged me a lot," I replied, opening the app.

As soon as the messages appeared, I moved the phone so Lex could read them as well. Rapidly, the anguish I'd felt earlier skyrocketed.

__________

Oliver, 07:26 PM

Andy, something's happening on the dark web.

Someone's offering a million dollars in Bitcoins to whoever kills Nammota first, with proof it's him and everything.

Death was the first one to hear about it, and we've been trying to find where it came from.

The first mention we found was four hours ago, but we still haven't identified the original poster.

Whoever put out the offer apparently has the money to back it up, and showed proof of it.

The word is spreading fast, everyone's talking about it, speculating to find who Nammota can be.

Lex's name is coming up a lot in the speculations. He's the only one even close to potentially being him.

We're still working on it with Death, but you two need to stay safe.

Some whack job out there might try to do something.

For that kind of money, many people would take the deal.

Until we've got some answers, you two need to stay locked at home.

I'll keep you posted on what we find.

__________

Anxious wasn't even the word for it anymore. I was terrified. Absolutely and utterly petrified by whatever this whole thing meant. Was someone really trying to take Nammota down that hard? And would people actually go after Lex, even though there was no way to be certain he was Nammota?

Fuck... Of course they would. For a million dollars, some might even kill their own mother. So why would they care about some rich guy who so many people were still convinced was the legendary cyber hacker?

A massive panic attack made its way through my mind, and my breathing became shallow, as if my lungs had collapsed on themselves. We'd thought this whole mess was over since the legal case had been dropped. But just like that, it had caught up with us. And it was so much worse than before. At least we knew who our enemies were back then. The accusation, the FBI, Homeland... But now... Holy fuck, now, it could be anyone. Anyone desperate enough to kill someone for a million dollars. Which I feared were legion given the global economic situation.

Lex was awfully silent next to me, and when I turned to him to get some reassuring sense of comfort, I found none of it. He was just as stunned as I was, reading the messages over and over again. He was internally processing all of this, his expression blank aside from his eyebrows that were deeply frowned, forming a crease aligned with his nose.

Because I couldn't breathe properly, I took quick and shallow intakes, which made my head spin. Fuck, this couldn't be happening. This wasn't fair, this wasn't right, and this was definitely not something either of us had foreseen. Fuck... Of course, things couldn't be this simple.

When had anything ever been simple for us?