The morning sunlight spilled in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, painting soft gold across the marble floors. Erin sat at the edge of the breakfast table, idly stirring the contents of her mug. She hadn't touched the toast in front of her. Her gaze was somewhere far away — not out the window exactly, but past it, as if she were watching the clouds from another world.
Xander leaned against the doorway, one hand in his pocket, watching her. He didn't miss much, and he definitely didn't miss this — the way her shoulders drooped slightly, the way her replies lately had been shorter than usual. She wasn't unhappy, exactly… but she wasn't herself either.
"I need a change," he said suddenly, breaking the quiet.
Erin blinked, looking up. "A change?"
"Yeah," Xander crossed the room and pulled out a chair across from her. "Same routine every morning. Breakfast here. Coffee here. You, sitting there with that same half-dead expression. It's getting dull."
She arched a brow. "I'm dull?"
"I didn't say that." He smirked faintly. "I said the routine is dull. And I need something new."
Erin set her spoon down. "Something new like…?"
"Like getting out of this house for breakfast." He reached over and pushed her untouched toast farther away from her. "We'll go out. There's a place I haven't been to in years. Their coffee is better than Cassian's sarcasm — which is saying something."
She frowned, already shaking her head. "You'll be late for work."
"I don't have anything scheduled this morning," he replied smoothly, as if he'd anticipated her objection.
"That's rare," she muttered.
"I know." He stood and offered his hand like she didn't have a choice. "So I'm using it."
Against her better judgment — or maybe because his rare spontaneity was hard to refuse — she found herself being ushered out the door.
---
The café was tucked into a quiet corner of the city, its front lined with flowering vines and the scent of freshly baked pastries wafting out onto the street. Inside, warm wood, sunlight, and the gentle hum of morning chatter wrapped around them.
Xander was in a mood.
He leaned back in his seat after ordering, eyes scanning her like a critic sizing up his subject. "You know, you should really get some training."
She gave him a flat look. "Training?"
"Yeah." He leaned forward conspiratorially. "In looking alive. You've got the basics down — breathing, blinking — but you could use work on the rest."
Her lips twitched despite herself. "I'll have you know I'm perfectly alive."
"Debatable." He took a sip of his coffee. "But I suppose you are upright, which is half the battle."
The banter continued, his comments sometimes sarcastic, sometimes absurdly dramatic, each one carefully designed to chip away at her lingering gloom. By the time their plates were cleared, she was hiding her smile behind her cup.
---
They left with paper cups and a small bag of takeout tucked under Erin's arm — Xander claiming it was "for Cassian, so he doesn't feel neglected," though Erin suspected he just liked leaving with something in hand.
The parking lot was nearly empty, sunlight glinting off the polished hoods of a few parked cars. As they neared theirs, Xander's gaze flicked to the bag in her hands. Without warning, he reached over and plucked it from her grip grinning like a spoiled brat.
"Hey!" Erin reached for it immediately.
"Nope." He stepped back, holding it just out of reach.
"Give it back, Xander."
"I will. Eventually. But you looked too serious again. This is a training exercise."
She narrowed her eyes. "Training in what?"
"Agility." He grinned and took off a few steps.
She let out a huff, but she was already chasing after him. The laughter in her voice surprised even her. She caught his sleeve once, but he twisted away with infuriating ease. Her hair fell into her face as she lunged forward again — and then her foot caught on the edge of the pavement.
The world tipped forward. She barely had time to register the fall before strong hands caught her by the waist.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Xander's face was inches from hers, the sun catching in his eyes in a way that made them look impossibly bright. His breath was steady against her cheek. Her hands had instinctively gripped his shoulders, and neither of them seemed willing to move.
There was a tension there — sharp, magnetic — and she wasn't sure who leaned in first, or if they even did. All she knew was that her heartbeat had climbed into her throat and the rest of the world had faded into silence.
And gradually both their eyes found their way to the other's lips. And before they could make sense of what was happening, they started to lean in.
And just when their lips touched the other's—
A car horn blared behind them.
They both jerked back, realizing they were standing directly in the middle of the driveway.
"Move!" the driver shouted from his rolled-down window.
Xander muttered something under his breath and guided her toward their car. The ride back was quiet, not because they didn't have anything to say, but because neither seemed willing to acknowledge what had almost happened.
By the time they reached the office, Erin's dullness from that morning had been replaced by something else entirely — a different kind of restlessness, one she didn't dare put into words.
And Xander… he simply hid his small, satisfied smile as they walked inside.