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“Where?”

“My suite.”

I shook my head. “I’m not allowed in the men’s section unless I—”

He smiled and slid an index finger to my lips to silence me. “I already sorted it out. I told a bunch of the guys at dinner that I really need my bathroom floor scrubbed, and I said I was going to come down here and find one of the girls to do it for me. So if anyone sees you there, they’ll think that’s why.”

I nodded slowly. “I’ll have to bring some cleaning things just in case.”

“I know. Meet me there at half past eight.”

Fifteen minutes later, I knocked on Mason’s door, a prim expression on my face and a bucket and sponge in my left hand.

“Good, you’re finally here,” he said loudly for the benefit of two men passing by. “The tiles are filthy, so if you could actually make an effort this time, that would be appreciated. Unless, of course, you’d like another trip to the Penance Rooms.”

“I’ll try, sir.” I bowed my head.

Mason left the door open to ensure no one got suspicious. Then he ushered me through his enormous suite and into the bathroom, where I started wiping things down slowly, just to continue the ruse in case anyone happened to come in and check on us.

“You said something about a surprise?” I said in a low voice.

Mason nodded. “I’m sure your father told you about the form of transport they have above ground.”

“Yes. A long time ago, the men found a functioning car from the old times.”

“That’s right. They’ve been using it to make longer and longer journeys into the Wastelands. Anyway, they invited me today. I didn’t really have much reason to say no, so I went.”

“Did something happen out there?” I asked, brows puckered with concern.

He rubbed the stubble on his square jaw. “Nothing bad. We looked through the ruins of an old city. I found something interesting.”

He nodded over my shoulder, toward the edge of the bathroom. I turned to see a white hand towel draped over something. “Look under it,” he said.

I dropped my sponge and hesitantly removed the towel. Beneath it was a narrow yet relatively tall fish tank complete with water, small ferns, interestingly-shaped pieces of wood, and a bottom layer of tiny pebbles with a smattering of colored shells. A beautiful silvery-green fish with long shimmering fins dipped and bobbed around in the water before disappearing amongst the leaves of one of the gently-swaying ferns.

“What is this?” I asked, looking back up at Mason with wide eyes.

“An angelfish for my angel,” he said, warmth glimmering in his dark eyes as he stared down at me.

“I… for me?”

“That’s right. You said a while ago that you always wanted a pet.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I haven’t received a gift since I was a child,” I said softly. “This is incredible. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I looked down at the tank again, touching one finger to the glass and marveling as the little fish swam right up to me, curious about what it was seeing. “How is this even possible?”

“We found the remains of an old department store,” Mason said. “I found that little tank, still in perfectly good condition. So I picked it up for you.”

“What about the fish? Aren’t most of the waters out there poisoned?”

Mason nodded. “I managed to find a clear spot where I could get one of these little guys for you.”

I stood and smiled, heart swelling. “Thank you again,” I whispered, throwing my arms around him. “This is amazing.”

I kept the hug brief in case someone walked in, but I was still smiling when I pulled away.

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