Page 16 of Nix and Tell

“Your flat is all cosy and lovely and so very you. And mine is… not.”

Her brow furrows and she looks incredibly confused. “Wait, what?” Looking back towards the lounge she shakes her head. “What are you talking about?”

I follow her gaze, and see a workroom. “It’s just filled with material; I clearly don’t have a very good work-life balance.”

Violet barks a laugh and I startle. “Chlo, that’s not news, to me or to anyone who knows you at all. You’re very dedicated to your work. Which makes this flat totally you. I likeyou, not some weird version of you, and that means that I’m not surprised by your flat, but also neither am I disappointed. I’m just psyched that you’re sharing another part of your life with me.”

It’s sweet of her for sure, but my doubt must show in my eyes because she leans forward and nips my lip.

“None of that. I’m telling you the truth, so you gotta believe me.”

The sudden sting of pain makes me blink and I nod before I’m entirely cognisant of what I’m doing.

She pats my cheek approvingly. “Good girl.”

12

Violet

Chlo is unbelievably adorable. If I liked the gruff exterior that I’d gotten to know over the last year, this slightly awkward subby side was more than a little endearing. She was melty goo, wrapped up in a deliciously masc package.

“You’re all good, sweetheart. Now, what’s for dinner?”

The question gives her a purpose and Chlo chats to me about the recipe she’s chosen as she sets the table. By the time the mac and cheese is ready to come out of the oven, she’s lit some candles and I’m sat with a beautifully delicate serviette on my lap.

She walks over, smiling shyly as she places the dish on the table. The top is a crispy cheese pancake, and the whole thing smells delicious.

“How much would you like?”

“As much as you can fit on my plate!”

It’s steaming and so damn cheesy, with bursts of salty flavour coming through from the pancetta. We eat in silence, because something this delicious deserves my full attention.

Chlo’s lost her deer in headlights look by this point. She even laughs when I make an appreciative fuck-this-is-good-food sound.

“What do you fancy for dessert?” she asks, and then flushes in that delicious way when I look at her pointedly. “Not chocolate?”

“I mean, they’re not mutually exclusive…” If I didn’t know any better, I’d have said that Chlo was on the verge of giggling. “No, no, you’re right. Covering me in chocolate and then licking it off me would be a terrible terrible thing.”

She blinks rapidly, and the how-the-hell-do-I-process-that look descends. I’m rather fond of that look. My immaculately presented masc thrown completely off kilter by sweet, little old me.

“Covering you in chocolate would be fun, but–” Her voice cuts off and I’m instantly intrigued.

“Go on.”

“We haven’t really done any kind of negotiations.”

She’s right, of course, and I should know better. “Cut the mood lighting, and we can go sit down and talk negotiations.”

“Shit, did I break it?”

“What?” I swear, there are a myriad of ways in which Chlo’s brain immediately jumps to panic. It’s strange to watch, because I’m usually the one freaking out. “Break what?”

“The sexy flirty vibes…”

“My dear nix, if you think I’m incapable of being both flirty and sexy during a negotiation, then I’ve seriously let myself down. I thought I had more game than that.”

This time she does giggle, a low sound that would be a chuckle, if not for the inflection. “You know that you’ve got game, Vi.”

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