Maya's lips hovered dangerously close to Rege's.
Close enough for the warmth of his breath to brush softly against her mouth. Close enough for her thoughts to dissolve every single time his aquamarine eyes lowered toward her lips again.
And God.
A part of her wanted him to kiss her.
Desperately.
The need existed somewhere deep beneath her ribs now, warm and frightening and impossible to ignore. Every second they remained this close only made it worse. His hand still rested lightly against her cheek, his thumb barely grazing her skin while the soft Manhattan wind drifted around them carrying the scent of roses and sugar through the rooftop air.
But another part of her—the rational part—kept screaming warnings inside her head.
This is wrong.
You barely know him.
You are falling too fast.
Her heartbeat stumbled unevenly.
And then another quieter voice whispered something far more dangerous.
The person you knew completely never loved you either.
That thought struck sharply enough to clear some of the haze clouding her mind.
Maya blinked suddenly.
The tension between them shifted almost imperceptibly.
And then another realization hit her entirely.
Rege had not eaten anything.
Her brows pulled together faintly.
Rege noticed the change in her expression immediately. Even though she was still leaning toward him. Even though their breaths still mingled softly between them.
He noticed every small shift inside her expression now. Every hesitation. Every uneven breath.
His jaw tightened.
Then slowly—reluctantly—he leaned back and sat upright again.
The distance between them returned instantly.
And somehow the absence of his warmth affected Maya immediately. She missed his scent embarrassingly fast. Missed the feeling of his hand against her cheek. Missed the dangerous gravity constantly pulling her toward him.
Rege felt it too.
The absence of her closeness settled unpleasantly beneath his ribs while he forced himself to regain control of his breathing.
Maya blinked repeatedly before lowering her gaze.
"I remembered that you haven't eaten," she murmured softly.
Her voice sounded quieter now. Almost shy.
She turned toward the picnic arrangement too quickly, clearly needing something else to focus on before her thoughts completely betrayed her.
"You should eat something," she continued while carefully placing strawberries and grapes onto a plate. "I don't want you getting sick."
The morning sunlight spilled softly across the rooftop now, warming the cream-colored tent behind them while silver-white clouds drifted lazily across the Manhattan sky overhead. Rose petals shifted gently in the breeze around the rooftop edges, brushing faintly against the flower-covered flooring.
Rege watched Maya quietly.
Every movement she made felt precious to him now.
The way she concentrated while arranging the fruit.
The slight crease between her brows.
The tiny nervous breaths she kept taking without realizing it.
Maya picked up a grape afterward before extending it toward him slowly.
"Open your mouth."
Rege looked at her for half a second.
Then obeyed.
Slowly.
His lips parted slightly before he leaned forward enough to take the grape from her fingers.
But the moment his teeth brushed softly against her fingertips—
he froze.
A faint flush spread visibly across his cheeks almost immediately.
Maya blinked.
Then stared harder.
No.
Absolutely not.
Her eyes widened in disbelief before laughter burst out of her instantly.
"Oh my God," she gasped between laughter. "Are you blushing?"
Rege looked away briefly.
Which only confirmed it further.
Maya laughed harder immediately.
"No, tell me honestly," she continued between breathless laughter. "Are you shy because I'm feeding you?"
The question was entirely rhetorical.
His expression already betrayed him completely.
Rege bit lightly against the inside of his cheek in an obvious attempt not to laugh before shaking his head faintly.
Maya pointed accusingly toward him.
"You really are shy!"
Her laughter echoed beautifully across the rooftop. Bright. Warm. Completely alive.
The sound wrapped around Rege instantly.
"I should take a picture right now and send it to Adela and Cassie," she continued dramatically. "They would never believe this version of you exists."
A reluctant smile tugged at his mouth.
"My father used to say I had the ability to make anyone laugh," Maya added while still giggling softly. "I never believed him before."
Her gaze swept slowly across his face afterward before softening unexpectedly.
"But look at you now."
Her smile widened.
"You're practically blooming."
That finally broke him.
A deep laugh escaped Rege suddenly.
Rich.
Warm.
Dangerously beautiful.
His shoulders shook faintly as another laugh followed, softer this time but no less devastating.
Maya stopped breathing normally for a second.
Because hearing Rege laugh like this felt deeply unfair.
His entire face transformed whenever he genuinely laughed. The cold restraint he carried constantly softened. His eyes brightened beneath the sunlight. The severe lines of his expression disappeared entirely.
And somehow he became even more devastatingly handsome.
Maya stared openly.
Completely mesmerized.
But eventually her own laughter returned too, and soon the rooftop filled with the sound of both of them laughing together beneath the bright Manhattan sky.
"Don't think this changes anything," Maya warned dramatically once she could breathe again. "You're still eating properly."
Rege saluted her playfully.
That immediately restarted her laughter.
God.
She looked beautiful happy.
Rege picked up the plate from her hands afterward before quietly adding pastries beside the fruit.
Then finally began eating.
Maya watched him silently now.
Almost too silently.
Rege noticed immediately.
Her chin rested lightly against her palm while she continued watching him openly.
"How does someone look that handsome doing something as simple as eating?"
Rege nearly choked.
Maya burst into laughter again.
Meanwhile Rege looked away briefly despite secretly loving every second of her attention.
Because Maya's eyes felt priceless to him.
The way she looked at people held warmth and sincerity so genuine that being seen by her felt dangerously addictive.
And today all of that attention belonged entirely to him.
Rege cut another slice of chocolate cake afterward before handing the plate toward her.
Maya's eyes sparkled instantly.
Like a light bulb switching on inside her mind.
Rege noticed immediately.
Dangerous woman.
He scooped a spoonful of cake before lifting it toward her lips.
But at the exact same moment Maya grabbed a pastry and held it toward him too.
Rege chuckled softly.
Then both of them leaned forward simultaneously.
Maya accepted the cake while Rege ate the pastry directly from her fingers.
The sweetness exploded instantly across Maya's tongue.
Her eyes fluttered closed.
And another helpless moan escaped her lips.
"Mmmm."
Rege's grip tightened around the spoon.
Every sound she made while eating his food was becoming an actual problem for him.
"If I had my way," Maya said while taking another bite, "I would eat only your cakes every single day."
Rege stared at her intensely.
His jaw visibly tightened.
Meanwhile Maya remained entirely concentrated on the cake, making soft unintelligible sounds of happiness beneath her breath.
God help him.
After finishing her second slice, Maya finally placed the plate aside before immediately turning toward Rege again.
"You're still not eating enough."
Before he could answer, she took the plate directly from his hands.
Then started feeding him herself.
Rege froze instantly.
The faint blush returned almost immediately to his cheeks.
Maya noticed.
Of course she noticed.
And this time she laughed openly.
"You really are shy," she teased while holding another grape toward him.
Rege accepted it quietly though the tips of his ears were visibly red now.
Maya nearly lost control of herself laughing.
"You're actually adorable," she informed him very seriously.
Rege looked personally offended by the statement.
Which only made her laugh harder.
After emptying the plate again, Maya filled it once more with pastries and fruits before handing it back to him.
Then she picked up her smoothie.
The moment she tasted it, her eyes closed automatically.
"Oh my God," she breathed dramatically. "Even this smoothie tastes heavenly."
She drank again through the straw while making another soft pleased sound.
Rege stared at her instead of eating.
Completely distracted.
"Rege," Maya reprimanded immediately after noticing.
Even his name sounded almost heavenly on her lips.
She took the plate from his hands once more.
Then resumed feeding him.
The blush returned again.
Maya rolled her eyes dramatically.
"You're impossible."
Still, her smile remained unbearably soft.
Then suddenly Maya brightened again.
"Oh!"
Rege watched her carefully.
"The cross feeding earlier reminded me of something from Chinese dramas."
Her excitement returned instantly.
"In historical Chinese weddings, couples sometimes drink cross-cupped wine together as their final marriage rite."
She demonstrated the motion enthusiastically with invisible cups.
"And once they drink it together, the marriage becomes official."
Maya smiled while explaining.
But the moment she glanced back toward Rege—
she froze.
Because he was staring at her far too intensely.
The air shifted immediately.
Heat climbed slowly into her face.
She lowered her eyes quickly before handing his plate back toward him.
"Eat," she mumbled softly. "I don't want to keep putting you on the spot."
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Then he finally began eating properly.
Maya continued sipping her smoothie while stealing occasional glances toward him.
By the time Rege finished eating, Maya had somehow finished the entire smoothie herself.
Afterward Rege carefully replaced the protective glass covers over the remaining desserts before placing their empty plates neatly inside a container beside the tent.
By now morning had slowly shifted into noon.
The sunlight sat higher above Manhattan now, spilling warm gold across the rooftop while the breeze continued drifting softly between the roses surrounding them.
Maya slipped inside the cream-colored tent first.
Immediately sinking against the mountain of blankets and pillows arranged beautifully inside.
Rege entered quietly afterward before sitting across from her.
For several seconds neither of them spoke.
They simply looked at each other.
Maya thought his eyes were unfairly beautiful.
Bright aquamarine beneath the filtered sunlight.
Dangerous enough to ruin someone's life completely.
Meanwhile Rege looked at Maya like she was something unreal.
Her eyes remained impossibly bright.
Especially when they rested on him.
And the way those eyes looked at him stripped away pieces of his restraint one by one.
Maya leaned slightly closer unconsciously.
Rege's jaw tightened immediately.
"Thank you for everything today," she whispered softly.
Her smile turned smaller afterward.
More sincere.
"This was incredibly sweet."
Rege's gaze softened instantly.
"I'm happy you liked it."
Maya laughed quietly.
"Liked it?"
She shook her head slowly.
"No. I loved it."
The warmth inside her expression nearly undid him again.
"This is honestly one of the best presents I've ever received."
Rege chuckled softly.
And something inside his chest loosened hearing that.
Because her happiness had been the only reason behind every detail today.
Maya suddenly straightened excitedly.
"Well, since we're already here, let's do something."
Rege raised a brow slightly.
"We've spoken so much these past few weeks," Maya continued, "and somehow you know practically everything about me already."
She narrowed her eyes accusingly.
"But I know almost nothing about you."
"You do know me, Krasota," Rege replied quietly.
Maya immediately shook her head.
"No. You know me far better than I know you."
A soft chuckle escaped him.
Maya pointed triumphantly.
"See? That reaction alone proves I'm right."
But suddenly—
a sharp pain pierced through her chest.
Maya's breath faltered faintly.
Her hand moved instinctively toward her ribs though she smiled immediately afterward like nothing had happened.
Rege noticed anyway.
Of course he did.
His expression changed instantly.
He moved closer without hesitation before gently taking her wrist.
Maya's heartbeat skipped.
Rege checked her pulse carefully.
And frowned.
Her pulse was irregular.
Her breathing had already shortened slightly.
"Don't frown," Maya whispered quickly. "I'm okay."
Rege looked unconvinced.
"I just need to lie down for a little while," she continued softly. "Then I'll be fine again."
The concern in his face softened immediately after hearing the discomfort in her voice.
Carefully, he helped her settle properly against the pillows before pulling one of the blankets gently over her.
The softness surrounding her felt heavenly.
"I'm glad you didn't let them put flowers inside the tent," Maya murmured while relaxing against the pillows. "Strong scents too close to me can become a problem sometimes."
"You're the only one allowed here, Krasota," Rege replied softly.
Maya froze.
Her eyes widened slowly.
"Wait."
She blinked rapidly.
"You mean you arranged all of this yourself?"
Rege nodded once quietly while adjusting the pillows behind her head.
Maya stared around the tent in disbelief.
The layered blankets.
The carefully arranged pillows.
The soft lighting.
Every tiny detail.
"Wow," she whispered. "That's… a lot."
A faint smile appeared on Rege's mouth.
Maya's lips parted slightly in amazement.
And before she could say anything else—
Rege lifted his hand.
Then gently closed her mouth with his fingers.
The second his fingertips brushed her lips—
he regretted it immediately.
Because her lips were unbelievably soft.
His entire body tightened instantly.
And before logic could stop him, his thumb slowly traced along her lower lip.
Softly.
Carefully.
Like he was memorizing the shape.
Maya inhaled sharply.
Every thought inside her mind disappeared.
The pain in her chest. The discomfort and ache in her ribs. The breathlessness. All of it faded beneath the intensity of the way he was touching her now.
Rege's eyes darkened slightly while his thumb continued moving gently across her mouth.
He looked completely enthralled.
Like he was fighting himself.
And Maya realized something terrifying.
If Rege kissed her right now—
she would not stop him.
Worse.
She would want it.
Because somewhere along the way, without fully realizing it, Rege had become dangerously important to her.
Far more important than she would ever willingly admit.
And the way he looked at her now made it impossible to pretend otherwise anymore.