Chapter 7 - A Fresh Start in St. PaulTwo weeks later, we packed our remaining boxes and left Minneapolis behind for a quiet, sun-drenched loft across the river in St. Paul.
There were no corporate shell companies tied to the deed. No secret ex-boyfriends lurking in the shadows. Just hardwood floors, large industrial windows overlooking the Mississippi, and a single, unified grocery shelf in the refrigerator that neither of us bothered to divide anymore.
The transition from roommates to whatever we were now—partners, lovers, two people who had survived a minor action movie in their kitchen—was surprisingly seamless.
Except for one minor detail.
"Ben!" Ava's voice echoed from the bedroom on a crisp Saturday morning.
I paused unpacking a box of books in the living room and called back, "What? Are you missing your hoodie again?"
"No! Come here!"
I walked down the short hallway, pushing open the door to our new master bedroom. Ava was standing in front of the open walk-in closet, holding up a sleek, emerald-green silk dress that looked suspiciously expensive.
She turned around, raising an eyebrow at me.
"Well?" she asked, mirroring her exact posture from two weeks ago.
I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms, a slow smile spreading across my face. I remembered the fork, the sesame noodles, the panic, and the absolute chaos that had changed our lives forever.
"It's not bad," I said.
Ava gasped playfully, placing a hand over her heart. "Not bad? I look like a literal work of art, Ben Lawson."
"You do," I admitted, closing the distance between us, wrapping my arms around her waist from behind and resting my chin on her shoulder. "You look dangerous."
"Good thing you know how to handle danger," she whispered, leaning back against my chest, turning her head to press a soft kiss to my cheek.
"Always," I murmured.
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We thought the drama was behind us. We thought Nolan was locked away in a holding cell, waiting trial for a lifetime of manipulation and crimes he couldn't talk his way out of.
We were dangerously, completely wrong.
