Page 9 of Nitro

"Bears have big appetites. You can save the leftovers if there's any," I assured him.

While Tommy started unpacking, I grabbed my phone and called my favorite pizza place and the local Chinese take-out.

In the end, Tommy allowed me to assist with the unpacking.

He pulled out his belongings and directed me where to put them, and together, we made quick work of the task.

"Thanks, this went a lot faster thanks to you," Tommy said, his tone appreciative.

However, his expression grew quizzical when he caught me sniffing one of his shirts.

He cleared his throat and hesitated, finally asking, "Um, are you..."

I wasn't embarrassed in the slightest that he had caught me, and I only shrugged.

"Yeah," I confessed. "This smells nice, like lemon and you."

Tommy, unsure of how to respond, was momentarily at a loss for words. He was clearly relieved when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," he said quickly, hurrying to answer the door and giving both of us a moment to regain our composure.

“Behave, Nitro,” I silently admonished myself, before following after Tommy.

3

TOMMY

The brief episode with the shirt was easily overshadowed by the arrival of the food.

Nitro and I carried the delicious spread to the coffee table in the living room.

For a moment, I considered telling him he could keep the shirt if he wanted, but I couldn't quite figure out the appropriate way to broach that subject.

Should I pretend to be offended that he was being a little bit "pervy"?

On the other hand, I couldn't deny the oddly comforting thought that he wanted to commit my scent to memory.

Shaking my head, I decided to let the moment pass. Thankfully, the rest of the evening went smoothly.

Nitro suggested we log into a streaming service, and he generously shared his password when I admitted that I had forgotten the login details to Marc's account.

We settled in with our mountain of food after picking a rom-com to watch.

As the movie played, I couldn't resist sneaking a few glances at Nitro, just to remind myself that he was real and that he was here with me.

I wasn’t back in my little room which Hicks assigned me with the bars on the windows, dreaming of a moment like this.

The movie credits rolled and Nitro and I kept the leftovers.

"So, will you continue working at the kindergarten in Three Hills?" Nitro asked.

I nodded, the decision to move to Moon Burrow had been largely driven by the opportunity to continue my work at the Three Hills kindergarten.

My best friend Dylan also worked there as a teacher.

Then, as if triggered by a sudden thought, I blurted out, "Dylan. I forgot to text him that I'm here."

I reached for my phone and hastily sent a message to Dylan.

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