INICIAR SESIÓNIt was a chill morning, Starr was curled up to Christopher, his arm wrapped around her and her cream duvet covering them up. It felt so relaxing, they didn’t want to get up. “Aren’t you going to work today? Christopher had asked Starr as he tightened his grip around her, pulling her closer and unintentionally sniffing at her hair. He did like how it smelt, like a fresh atmosphere.
Starr shook her head before she replied, “Nope.” She let herself enjoying hi
Emma's story had unraveled faster than Christopher expected, tears drying up the moment he pressed her for specifics, her stalker suddenly vague, her details shifting each time he asked her to repeat them. It had taken him less than three minutes to realize something about the whole thing felt staged, rehearsed even, and by the time that realization fully landed he was already turning back toward the door, an uneasy weight settling low in his stomach that he couldn't yet name."Christopher, wait, I'm not finished-""I have to get back to Starr," he said, already moving, already feeling something cold creeping up the back of his neck that had nothing to do with the evening air. "Whatever this is, it can wait."He pushed through the front door of the eatery, the warm golden light of the candles still glowing exactly as he'd left it, the table still set with two plates and a ring box lid still open where he'd left it beside her water glass.Her chair was emp
Starr had changed her outfit three times before Christopher finally knocked on her bedroom door, laughing, telling her through the wood that whatever she'd chosen would be perfect because it was her wearing it. She settled, in the end, on a deep green dress that skimmed over the curve of her belly rather than fighting it, her hair down the way he liked it best, and when she stepped out he went quiet for a long moment, just looking at her, something reverent in his face that made her feel, for once, entirely unselfconscious about how visibly pregnant she was."You're staring," she said."I'm allowed to stare at my own family," Christopher replied, crossing the room to press a kiss to her forehead. "You look beautiful. Both of you.""Where are we going, exactly? You've been suspiciously tight-lipped all week.""Patience," he said, offering his arm. "You'll see soon enough."She should have known the moment the car turned down the familiar street, the moment she recognised the small eate
Dr. Adam's office smelled the same as it had every visit, faint antiseptic under something warmer, lavender maybe, and Starr had gotten so used to the routine of it that she barely flinched anymore at the cold gel against her belly, or at Christopher's hand finding hers the second the technology started humming to life."Alright," Adam said, moving the wand slowly, eyes on the screen rather than either of them, which Starr had learned meant he was concentrating rather than worried. "Heart rate looks perfect. Strong. Everything measuring exactly where it should be." He glanced up, that familiar teasing warmth back in his face. "You've been eating properly? No more skipping dinner because you got too absorbed in spreadsheets?""One time," Starr said. "That happened one time, months ago, and you have never once let me forget it.""I intend to bring it up at every appointment until this child is in college," Adam said cheerfully, and Christopher laughed, the sound easy and warm in the sma
The eatery was quiet in the middle of a weekday afternoon, chairs still up on some of the tables, the woman who ran it moving between them with a cloth in hand, humming something under her breath that Christopher didn't recognize but liked anyway. She looked up when the bell over the door rang, her face breaking into recognition."Mr. Chariton," she said warmly. "Back again so soon.""I wanted to make sure everything was settled for Saturday." Christopher glanced around the room, picturing it the way he wanted it to look, candles instead of the overhead lights, the wooden tables cleared of everything but the one where they'd sit. "You're certain you don't mind closing early?""For a proposal like this one?" The woman set her cloth down, pressing a hand to her chest. "I would close the whole week if you asked me to. You want to bring a woman back to the place that reminds her of her father, and ask her to spend her life with you in it. That is not something I wou
Christopher hadn't slept, not really, not in any way that counted. He'd drifted in and out through the night with Starr curled against him, her breathing slow and even, and every time his eyes had closed, he'd seen Emma's smile again, heard her voice saying someone from her past like she was handing him a gift she knew would rot the moment he touched it.By the time morning light came through the curtains, he'd already decided what he needed to do.He slipped out of bed carefully, careful not to jostle her, and made his way to the kitchen where he could talk without waking her. Valentine picked up on the second ring, his voice thick with sleep. "It is far too early for this.""I need a favor."Something in Christopher's tone must have carried, because Valentine's voice sharpened immediately, all traces of sleep gone. "What's wrong?""I want someone watching Starr's building. Discreetly. I don't want her knowing, I don't want to frighten her, especially not now, but after last night I'
Starr had been curled up on her couch with a bowl of sliced mango balanced on the shelf of her belly, halfway through an episode of something she wasn't really watching, when Christopher let himself in without knocking, the way he'd started doing months ago and she'd stopped minding just as long ago."You're early," she said, not looking up. "Weren't you at Magnus's?""I was." He came around the couch and sat beside her, closer than usual, close enough that she finally looked over at him, taking in the tightness around his eyes, the way his jaw was set like he was holding something behind his teeth. She knew that look. She'd learned it the way she'd learned most things about him lately, slowly, without meaning to."What's wrong?""Nothing," he said, too fast, and reached over to steal a piece of mango off her spoon like that would distract her.Starr set the bowl down on the side table and turned fully toward him, one hand coming to rest on his kne
At the click of her black Jimmy Choo's Lance heels on the office white tiles, heads began to turn and people began to trace their way to their offices and cubicles in fear. Starr Hart cat-walked in her wine button up bodycon gown, swaying her hips in the most perfect manner as her thick brown cur
Nothing had really changed around the house. It still had its African touch to it. It still had their dad’s effect here and there, his pictures still up. Starr smiled, her heart warming up. It was like his presence was still present, watching over them. She felt safe. “So, how has lif
"You my dear friend, need to step out of this house," Magnus said to Starr. Magnus was the only person who Starr sometimes spent time with or talked about personal or mundane things with. Magnus had been there with her through thick and thin, through unexpected hits and decisions. He was the only o







