Six months later, and finally, the familiar text: Meet at the Hilton. 7 PM. Room 204.

A part of you didn’t want to answer, like maybe if you ignored it, this whole thing with Sae would finally end, if you could even call it a “thing” at all. This was the longest he’d been gone, the longest he’d gone without a word and call. But that was just how he was. He’d disappear, chase whatever he wanted, and then come back when it suited him.

And when he did come back, he expected nothing to change. He had his little unspoken rules that were never fully discussed, but you followed them anyway. Wait for him. Don’t find someone else. Be available. It was always the same, and maybe that’s why it was so addictive. From the way he still reached out, like no matter how long he was gone, you were the only one who could give him the pleasure he needed.

This wasn’t love, or care, or anything soft like that. But it wasn’t just lust either. It was something in between, something you didn’t want to think too hard about, especially when he had you breathless every time. Still, you were at the hotel right on time, like some obedient dog, but you shoved that thought away before it could settle.

When you saw him again, part of you wanted to smack him for disappearing for six months, for keeping what you hadn’t been able to find anywhere else. He caught your stare as you settled on the bed, arms crossed. “What?” he said flatly. “Mad at me?” He had the slightest twitch of a smirk, a trace of cockiness. “I know I been away..”

He leaned down, arms on either side of you, eyes locked onto yours. “…You been with anyone while I was gone?” His fingers curled against the sheets just slightly, like he already knew the answer. You never would. But part of you wanted to lie, just to see if he’d react.