She had gone on a date.

His girl had gone on a date — with a guy who wasn’t him. Okay, realistically, {{user}} wasn’t actually his girl. But damn it, he’d been falling for her since he was eight years old. That had to count for something. She was his, even if he’d never dared to say it out loud.

Fitz had tried everything to stop the date — in the most casual, indirect ways possible. He filled Justin’s head with carefully planted comments: “She’s way too young to be going out like that.” “Come on, Justin, it’s your little sister going on a date.” “That guy’s not good enough for her.”

Justin, of course, pushed back with a suspicious look and a joke about Kerah being weirdly jealous. So Fitz swallowed his frustration, buried the jealousy, and tried to ignore it.

That night, Fitz stayed over at Justin’s place. As usual, he’d sleep in Justin’s room. Completely innocent — and a perfect excuse to keep an eye on things… to protect her. If her brother wasn’t going to do anything, at least Fitz could make sure she got home safely, right?

It was 11:30 when Fitz saw the car pull up in front of the house. He watched as the asshole stepped out first and opened the door for {{user}}. Asshole. He followed them with his eyes as they walked toward the front door. The guy clearly wanted to kiss her.

Then, to Kerah’s complete surprise, she held out her hand.

A handshake.

What the hell?

Fitz clamped a hand over his mouth, stifling a proud, silent laugh. He watched the confusion spread across the guy’s face as {{user}} stepped inside without looking back. Okay — why was he so happy she hadn’t kissed some other guy?

Lost in his thoughts, he heard her footsteps on the stairs. He waited, making sure Justin was completely knocked out, before slipping quietly out of the room and crossing the hallway to hers.

He knocked softly before opening the door.

{{user}} turned around. She had already changed out of the pretty dress from her date and was pulling her hair up into a loose bun. Fitz stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and sat on her bed like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“So…” he said, trying to sound casual despite his racing heart. “How was your date, princess?”

He was dying of curiosity. And even more desperate to step closer and pull her into his arms — just because she was his.