The Billionaire Recluse & The girl who stayed.

What was that?

~ Lexi ~

Well... that was weird.

Really weird.

I sat in my car for a moment before getting out, staring at my phone like it had personally offended me.

Jasper had never—never—told me what time to be back.

Not once.

If anything, he'd always said the opposite.

Go when you want. Stay as long as you need.

And now suddenly—

"Be back by one."

I frowned slightly, shaking my head.

"He sounded pissed," I muttered to myself.

But why?

Because I was meeting Dale?

The thought lingered for a second.

Then I pushed it away.

No.

He made it very clear where I stood.

This had nothing to do with him.

—

I stepped out of the car and headed into Daisy's, the warm smell of coffee and toasted bread instantly wrapping around me.

Comforting.

Familiar.

Dale was already there, sitting by the window with two coffees waiting on the table.

Of course he was.

Prepared.

Thoughtful.

He stood as soon as he saw me, smiling easily as he leaned in and kissed both my cheeks.

"Nice to see you again, Lexi."

I smiled back.

"You too."

And I meant it.

There was no tension.

No guessing.

No mixed signals.

Just... easy.

"I wanted to see you before Saturday," he said as we sat down.

Something about the way he said it felt genuine.

Not forced.

Not rehearsed.

Just honest.

"That's sweet," I said, wrapping my hands around my coffee. "I'm glad you did."

—

We ordered food—grilled cheese, of course.

Daisy's specialty.

Turns out, he loved it just as much as I did.

"That's a good sign," I joked. "You've got good taste."

"I'm starting to think that," he smirked lightly.

—

Conversation flowed naturally after that.

No awkward pauses.

No overthinking.

Just talking.

About life.

About work—but not in a stiff, formal way.