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It smelled like eggs and bacon and something on the edge of going very wrong when I woke up.

Still half-asleep, I pulled on the pair of panties I had eagerly discarded last night and my pajama top. Yawning, I threw my hair back into a messy bun and shuffled out of the bedroom.

Mark was whistling to himself at the stove. He had donned glasses, a white T-shirt, and black shorts. While I preferred his birthday suit from yesterday, there was something so . . . boyfriend about his outfit and the skillet he held.

I tiptoed back into the bedroom and snatched my phone off the nightstand

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I tiptoed back into the bedroom and snatched my phone off the nightstand. I snuck a picture of Mark, added a filter, and changed my lockscreen. I stared at the image, chewing my lip and smiling to myself.

"Hey, you." Mark startled me from my stupor. He lifted a plate of slightly burnt scrambled eggs and floppy bacon and unbuttered toast. "I made breakfast."

"Aww." I kissed his cheek. "Well, you tried, honey."

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "In another life, I was a gourmet chef."

"Gordon Ramsay's so proud of my boyfriend." I erupted into laughter before I realized what I'd said. I cleared my throat. "Um, Mark?"

"Hmm?"

"You're not just my friend." I gripped his hand. "You're not just a friend with benefits. Lovely, wonderful benefits."

He went pink. "Yingyue, are we secretly boyfriend and girlfriend?"

"We're disgustingly hetero, I'm afraid."

And then we dug into his attempt at breakfast before we ditched our clothes again.

friends with benefits || nctWhere stories live. Discover now