Thursday morning, Naomi awoke to the scent of strawberries, sugar, and pancakes. When she peeked her eyes open, Kieran stood by the bed, holding a wooden tray with a crepe surrounded by berries and topped with a zig-zagged drizzle of caramel. If she snuggled into the pillow, it smelled like him too, and she loved it. After the softball game, they'd gone out for drinks without Greg and had returned to Kieran and Jake's place, where cuddling with Kieran far outweighed sleeping alone. While it wasn't their first time sharing a bed, it was the first night they'd done so at his apartment.

"Good morning, Naomi."

Even his voice made her smile. How early had he woken up to make this?

She sat while cocooning herself in the bedspread. "What is this?"

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Why?"

He raised his pierced eyebrow. "Who are you, and what have you done with my amazing foodie girlfriend?"

She chuckled. "It looks delicious, but you didn't have to go to all this trouble." She would have enjoyed cuddling with him and having toast or cereal. She wasn't this high-maintenance.

"I do though because subconsciously you need to associate this place with delicious food, so when you're hungry, you come to visit."

Excitement flooded her heart, and she shared it with a smile. "I want to visit you, goof."

"Good, because you're incredible, and I can't imagine not having this or you in my life." He bit his lip and glanced at the crepes then at her with those magic hazel eyes. "Naomi, I love you."

Her breath caught in her throat, and warmth spread through her chest like that melted caramel. "Kieran, I-I." This was the worst time for her tongue to tie up. She had said it so many times internally and nearly blurted it out after he'd been so supportive during their boundaries talk and the silly strip tease she loved. Humour and laughter made intimacy much easier for her.

Why were the words staying trapped?

"It's okay. It's soon, but I want you to have zero doubts about my feelings. You're the best, and so is this. There's no pressure to say it back. I'm always cool with moving at your speed physically and emotionally."

On closer inspection, he'd even arranged the strawberries in a heart around the plate. His smiling face was only directed at her, making her hands itch to run over his beard and pull him as close to her as possible.

"Can you put the food over there for a second?"

Kieran's brow furrowed, but he set it on his desk and came back. She drew him closer by his soft pyjama t-shirt until he lay beside her. She stroked his beard with her thumb and ran it gently over his lips, to his amusement.

"I love you too," she whispered. "Hearing it just... it overwhelmed me in the best way."

As they kissed, she tasted salty caramel and peppermint, which was a very odd combination. The smooth sensation of his tongue slipping into her mouth silenced her thoughts. She pulled him closer, despite the comforter blocking their connection. As if he could read her mind, he untangled her from the cocoon and slipped beneath it with her, pulling their bodies flush together. 

"Kieran, won't you be–" A gasp followed Jake's words along with a slight thud. "I thought we talked about closing doors. Noami, did you stay overnight?"

She pulled away and looked over Kieran's shoulder toward his brother. "Sorry, Jake. I distracted him. We're supposed to be eating Kieran's delicious breakfast."

"Breakfast in the bedroom?" Jake crossed his arms and glared at Kieran's back.

"It was an 'I love you' breakfast in bed. Very romantic." Naomi sneaked in a kiss since Kieran still refused to face his brother. "We won't make a habit of it."

"I suppose the intention was noble. However, I appreciate notice about guests and closed doors with activities of this nature, Kieran. Unless you're worried your boundaries may not be respected, Naomi, in which case we could create a communication system that is both subtle and comfortable for both of us."

"I'll tell you the next time I stay over, and we'll keep the doors closed. I trust Kieran completely."

"Okay," Jake said.

Kieran rolled over to face Jake. "If that's all, please close that door, baby bro. There are extra berries for you on the table and a crepe I know you'll never eat."

"Is that why there's almond flour on the counter?" Jake asked.

"Yes."

"Was the recipe from the app?"

"Yes."

Jake's lips twitched before stretching into a smile. "Thank you. It would be a shame to waste an 'I love you' crepe. Next time, you could spare yourself the trouble and say the words to my face." Jake's voice was flat.

Kieran groaned. "That part was clearly for Naomi."

Jake chuckled to himself. "You claim I'm bad with sarcasm." He had mastered the art of a completely serious delivery of his jokes.

The bed shook as Naomi laughed and said, "I love you, Jake."

"In the spirit of camaraderie, I love you too, Naomi. However, words are more than sufficient to convey it. I need none of these theatrics. But I will try the extra crepe."

She played with the soft fabric of Kieran's shirt, making his eyes meet hers.

"I love you, brother, but please get lost."

"Don't you have to work?" Jake asked.

"Took the morning off. Now if you don't mind."

"Of course. Enjoy your celebrations. May they be pleasant and consensual." His footsteps retreated toward the kitchen.

Kieran shut and locked the door, muttering about boundaries and personal space as Naomi failed to contain her laughter.

"I do low-key love your brother."

Despite her boyfriend shaking his head, a small smile rested on his lips. "Luckily for me, he is aromantic and asexual. Now, crepes or celebrating?"

Naomi's growling stomach answered for her. Although, with Kieran insisting on them feeding each other the mouth-watering creation, it felt as intimate as their earlier moments. When they'd finished eating and returned to celebrating, they stuck to kissing, caressing each other, and cuddling, followed by an incredible back and head massage. When she offered to recreate their lake memories, he declined, saying today was about love and actions that brought them both the most joy. How had she gotten so lucky?

***

After work on Friday, Naomi's coworker mentioned her friend was waiting for her. It was odd since Kieran waited in his truck and knew it took ten minutes past her shift time to prep the space for tomorrow morning's classes. She went out anyway in case he had something urgent come up. But wouldn't he have texted her?

Outside, in a fitted sweater and jeans, stood Greg, hands tucked in his pockets in the strip mall parking lot.

"Hi?" she asked.

"Nomi, hey, how are you?"

"Confused."

He rocked on his feet. "I can't surprise my friend at work?"

"This used to be how things were between us, but that's not what we're returning to. I have a boyfriend who will be here in five minutes. If you want to hang out, text me first."

Greg's gaze darted around the parking lot before he stepped closer to her.

"Whatever you're going to say, know that I'm genuinely happy. Kieran is good to me, and I love him."

Greg flinched and took a deep breath. "He's so good that he lies to you?"

"I get I hurt you, but it doesn't give you the right to butt into my relationship. You said you'd be supportive."

Greg scanned the parking lot again. "Naomi, he's a criminal."

She groaned. "I love Kieran, and that won't change."

"For starters, his name isn't Kieran. It's Mathieu."

"You can't accuse him of being a criminal because he looks like another guy. I understand Tara hurt you and that was shitty, but you need to move on like you said or leave me alone!"

"I want to move on, and I'm trying. I have a client who is a private investigator, and I thought looking into your boyfriend's past would give me peace of mind. How dangerous could a guy with a flower tattoo who flirts using stuffed toys be?"

Her fists clenched at her sides. Where the hell did he get the audacity to treat her like someone he could surveil? "You're unbelievable, Greg! That is not moving on. That's stalking!"

"Would you just listen? Your 'loving' boyfriend's name is Mathieu Tremblay, and he was on trial for murdering his girlfriend."

Greg was getting more ridiculous by the second. "You're lying."

"Search for that name and tell me they're not the same guy. Marc said Kieran has a tech-savvy brother, an app developer, right?"

Naomi didn't like where this was going.

"So does Mathieu Tremblay. Marc confirmed the brother looks nearly identical to Kieran's. They both disappeared from the Kingston area two years ago. Whereabouts still unknown."

She didn't want to give Greg's ridiculous claims any more attention. Kieran would have told her if this was his past. He would hide nothing this significant from her. He loved her and trusted her.

To call Greg out, she took out her phone and searched for what he claimed.

Her heart clenched, and she nearly dropped the device after the search results appeared.

Do you think that Greg's right? Did you see that coming?

I almost put the 'I love you' in the lake scenes, but I loved having Jake there so I went with this version. Hopefully, it's not too weird. 

Next week we'll get to see how Kieran's doing after this whole scene.