Chapter 102: slowly opening up

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: slowly opening up

Kate gave a tired little hum of satisfaction.

"That’s good to hear. Now I’m completely exhausted from all the advice I just handed out. Good luck with your exams. I’ve still got a few night things to do before my body goes into full hibernation."

"Good night, Kate."

Kate’s smile turned sly. "It would be an even better night if you gave me one nice little chat involving you and the men."

Amelia snorted. "Get lost."

Kate laughed and the call ended.

Amelia leaned back in the chair. The weight in her chest felt lighter now. She really did need to stop telling herself she wasn’t worth anything. The powers she was beginning to unlock were proof enough.

Her past lives were evidence. something close to confidence settled in her, and she returned to her notes with renewed focus, occasionally murmuring small words of encouragement to herself as she worked.

Some time later her stomach gave a loud, unmistakable grumble.

She needed to eat.

Amelia stood, crossed the room, and opened the door—only to find Reid already standing there, a tray of clearly still-warm, delicious-looking food in his hands.

"I had a feeling you’d get hungry," he said simply. "So I brought this."

She couldn’t refuse. Hunger won without a fight. She took the tray carefully.

"Thank you."

She carried it back to the desk, shifted her books and papers aside, set the tray down, and immediately began eating with far less elegance than usual—practically gobbling the food in focused, grateful bites.

Reid had settled on the bed, lying on his side with his head propped on one raised palm, watching her the entire time.

Amelia eventually paused mid-bite, swallowed, and glanced over at him.

"Have you never seen someone eat like this before?"

Reid’s mouth curved slightly.

"You just look cute."

Amelia groaned around another bite.

"You take every single chance to flirt."

He didn’t look away. "I’m actually telling the truth. I really mean it."

She shook her head lightly, still chewing.

"You’ve seen women way more beautiful than me. Women who fit you better."

Reid went quiet for a second. Then he straightened up, shifting to the edge of the bed so he was facing her head-on. His usual playful smirk melted away into something a lot more serious and intentional.

"You’re right. I’ve seen plenty of faces the world calls ’perfect.’ But I used to think beauty was just a picture you look at from a distance—silent, empty, and easily forgotten."

His gaze stayed steady on hers as he continued.

"You ruined that for me.

Because when I call you beautiful, I’m not talking about symmetry. I’m talking about the way the entire room shifts when you walk in, the sound of your voice, and the way everything in my chest finally settles when you look at me.

Those other faces are just images. You are an entire experience. None of them have ever made me feel like this."

Amelia had never heard a confession like that in her life.

Heat rushed up her neck. Rather than risk letting him see how hard her heart was suddenly beating, she stuffed another large bite of food into her mouth and focused very intently on chewing.

Reid watched her for a moment longer, then spoke more quietly.

"That’s what I genuinely feel in my heart."

Amelia finally managed to swallow. She set the fork down with a little more force than necessary.

"And how exactly do you expect me to believe you? I can’t just forget that you and Dean almost poisoned me to death."

"The poison was fake."

Amelia froze.

"...What?"

"Yes." He leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees. "Yes, we were cruel. I’m not denying that. But somehow your presence changed the way we normally handle things—without us even realizing it at the time."

His voice dropped a fraction lower, more thoughtful.

"From the very beginning, all three of us felt something we couldn’t explain. We misunderstood it. We thought we were under some kind of spell, because none of us had ever experienced anything like that before."

Amelia froze, the spoon halfway to her mouth.

She froze in sheer disbelief for a second. Then the realization clicked into place, quiet and certain. He wasn’t lying. Somehow, she just knew he wasn’t lying to her.

She looked back down at her food and kept eating.

Reid watched her for a moment. "I know you don’t feel the same way. After all, we forced you into this. It’s normal for you to always be wary of us. But give us some slack. This is our first time feeling this way toward you. You’re the expert here—you’ve been with a lot of guys."

Amelia choked hard on her food, coughing as she grabbed for her water.

"That isn’t true," she managed once she could breathe again.

Reid tilted his head. "Isn’t that what you used to say?"

She realized he was right—she had said that. The lie she had made up to cover the fact that she was a virgin was now biting her in the back.

She set the spoon down carefully.

"I lied about that," she said. "The truth is... Dylan has been the only person I’ve ever been with. No one else."

She couldn’t tell him the full truth—that she had never even slept with Dylan. No one could know she was still a virgin.

Reid’s expression shifted. Something brighter moved through his eyes. He didn’t like the idea that anyone had touched her at all, but this was still better than what he had believed.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that," he said. "Not that it changes anything. It just makes me feel more obligated to make sure I’ll be your last. Me and my brothers."

Amelia’s face heated up right away, a bright rush of color flooding straight across her cheeks.

Reid’s eyes lit up. "There it is. That little red face of yours looks even prettier when you’re flustered."

"Stop," she muttered, looking away.

She finished the last of her food. Reid took the tray without a word, set it outside the door, and came back inside.

"The servants will pick it up."

Amelia’s gaze drifted to the large bed. Was she really going to sleep on the same bed as him?

"Why can’t you sleep on the floor?" she asked.

Reid raised a brow. "What, scared you’ll pounce on me in the middle of the night?"

"No," she said quickly. "I’m just not comfortable."

"You slept with all three of us on a bed before," he reminded her.

"That was my other self."

"You can’t deny you still enjoyed it."

She didn’t answer, because she can’t deny it.

Reid exhaled and grabbed several extra pillows, lining them down the middle of the mattress until the bed was clearly divided.

"Fine. You pick a side. I’ll stay on the other."

Amelia chose the left side and lay down, pulling the blanket up. Reid settled on the opposite side a moment later.

"You better not do anything funny," she warned.

Reid gave a slow, wicked little smile tugging at his mouth.

"Funny? Sweetheart, if anyone’s going to cross this pillow wall in the middle of the night, it’ll be you. Crawling over here all needy, climbing onto my lap, grinding that pretty little pussy against me because you can’t stand not being touched."

A sharp throb pulsed between her legs and her eyes widened.

"You’re shameless."