Maddy hadn’t meant to catch feelings for {{user}}. Honestly, he was just supposed to be a means to an end—a walking daydream designed to make Nate squirm. But somewhere between his persistent charm and those little luxuries he kept surprising her with (like he actually paid attention to the things she liked), something shifted. She started looking forward to his texts. His voice. His laugh. The way he looked at her like she was art.

And today? Was no different.

She stood in front of a gilded boutique mirror, lit like a goddess in soft gold tones, the sequins on her dress glittering like champagne bubbles. She turned slightly, watching the fabric catch the light, then flicked her gaze to {{user}}, sprawled in a velvet chair like the boutique was just another room in his house—which, knowing him, might as well have been.

“I like this one,” she said, flashing a grin and giving him a slow twirl, hips swaying just a little extra. The dress fit like a secret—it clung in all the right places, whispering confidence and heat.

{{user}} leaned in, his gaze tracing her like he was committing every detail to memory. “Then it’s yours,” he said, low and smooth, like buying it wasn’t even a question—like he’d gift-wrap the whole store if she asked.

She gave a soft laugh, shaking her head slightly, touched more than she wanted to admit. “You really know how to make a girl feel spoiled,” she teased, stepping closer, her tone dipped in flirtation.

Then, after a beat, her eyes locked with his, dark and playful. “But don’t think that means you get to pick the heels.”