CHAPTER 37: YOU-NESS

The moment Theo opened the door, Miles was already there, standing beside the room service cart, contained the food Daisy had requested earlier.

Their eyes met.

"Sir," Miles said, his eyes widening slightly and almost smiling, when suddenly Theo tilted his head and gave a slow blink.

"Ahem, madam’s food is here," he added quickly, regaining his composure.

"Thanks, Miles. You can go... rest now." Theo gave him a light pat on the back, then subtly glanced over his shoulder, checking to make sure Daisy wasn’t watching them too closely. Satisfied, he turned his head slightly to the right, where Marla stood silently. "You too, Marla."

"Yes, sir," they both responded in unison, politely excusing themselves.

But just as they turned, Theo stepped out of the room a little more and added in a low voice, "Reschedule all my meetings to the day after tomorrow... and keep acting like you did before. No changes."

Miles and Marla exchanged a quick glance before nodding.

"Understood, sir."

But just as they turned to leave, Marla suddenly halted her steps.

"Sir, may I advise you something?" she asked carefully.

Theo narrowed his eyes. "No."

Marla instinctively pointed a finger at him. "That’s exactly the problem! You’ll get caught right away if you keep acting like you always do. Tone it down, sir."

Theo raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Tone what down?"

Marla sighed. "The... you-ness. It’s very obvious."

The sharp and cold stare remained in Theo’s eyes, but his jaw shifted slightly, the only indication he was even processing Marla’s bold comment. For a beat, the air was thick with tension.

Miles coughed into his fist, attempting damage control. "What she means is... maybe smile a bit more? You know, sir... Elias kind of has a lot of smiles and is kinda... touchy, you know..."

He tilted his head slightly, expression flat and clearly irritated.

They could clearly see all over his face what was on his mind, ’Are you insane?’

"He’s not touchy," Theo replied icily. "He’s just a pervert."

"Who?" came a small voice from the doorway.

The three of them froze.

Daisy stood there, eyes wide with innocent curiosity. "Who’s a pervert?"

Miles turned pale. Marla’s eyes widened in horror. Theo, however, didn’t flinch, he simply straightened his posture and turned to face her fully, expression softened.

"Room service staff," he said flatly. "Tried flirting with Marla earlier."

Marla choked on air. "Wha—?"

"Seriously?" Daisy blinked, glancing at her. "Are you okay?"

"I—Yes—No—I mean—he didn’t—" Marla stammered, shooting a desperate look at Miles.

Theo cut in smoothly. "She’s fine, right?" He smiled, a full and calm smile before adding, "Thanks for the food. See you both tomorrow." With that, he rolled the cart inside.

Before they could even react, the door shut... then immediately opened again.

This time, Daisy slipped out quickly and leaned close to Marla. "Don’t worry. I’ll handle him. Just go rest," she whispered, then hurried back in.

The door clicked shut for real.

Marla and Miles just stared at each other, still too stunned to breathe.

Inside, Theo turned toward Daisy, his expression flat. "What were you whispering to them?"

"Ah... nothing," she said quickly, flashing a smile. She lifted the lid of the food tray, and the rich aroma of perfectly cooked steak hit her immediately. Her stomach actually growled.

She bit her lip and looked at him, eyes wide with faux innocence. "Thanks to the best husband ever, I’m eating steak at two in the morning..." She pressed her lips into a thin line and gave a slow, dramatic nod. "Very romantic."

He smiled, quietly entertained by her dramatic flair.

"If I’d known steak could earn me that title, I would’ve fed you earlier," he said, settling onto the edge of the sofa, completely at ease.

For once, he wasn’t calculating or guarded. No icy stare. No sharp words. Just him being him.

"Eat before it gets cold," he added, his voice lacking its usual edge.

Daisy dug in without waiting, slicing into the perfectly cooked steak and letting out a soft, involuntary hum of satisfaction. "Mmm... okay, this is ridiculous. What chef cooks like this at two in the morning?"

Theo didn’t answer. He was watching her quietly.

When she glanced up mid-bite, catching his gaze, he immediately looked away.

His eyes shifted to the curtains. "The color of the curtain...hmm...a bit off," he muttered, like that was what he’d been looking at the whole time.

She narrowed her eyes. "Were you staring at me?"

"I was staring at the curtain," he replied flatly, not even blinking.

"Uh-huh." She chewed slowly, unconvinced, "I know I look pretty at this time..."

Theo arched his eyebrows, really impressed by her confidence, "How do you know? Do you often stay awake during this time and stare at the mirror?"

Daisy grinned mid-chew, clearly unbothered. She pointed her fork at him. "I don’t need to."

Theo chuckled lightly, leaning back against the couch. "Hmm... I guess I need to check your face every hour to confirm it..."

Daisy froze, her fork suspended mid-air. "What was that just now?" she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "That... that almost sounded like flirting."

Theo didn’t respond immediately. He let the silence stretch as he watched her with unreadable eyes, his posture still relaxed but his gaze growing slightly more guarded again.

Then, ever so calmly, he said, "Must be the exhaustion talking."

Daisy tilted her head. "Yours or mine?"

"Yours," he replied smoothly. "You’re hallucinating compliments now."

She scoffed and sliced another piece of steak. "Right. So Mr. Best Husband... do tell me when your memories are coming back, because at that moment, I need to be ready." She took a deep breath and popped the last piece of steak into her mouth, chewing slowly.

Theo watched her for a moment, expression flat. Then, with a tilt of his head, he asked, "Why? What exactly are you preparing yourself for?"

Daisy blinked, caught off guard by the question. She grabbed her napkin and dabbed her lips slowly. "Well, obviously... I need to mentally prepare for your..." she paused, searching his gaze, then looked away, voice softer, "Never mind... I love how you are at this moment."

Something flickered in his eyes, fleeting and almost unnoticeable. His gaze narrowed slightly, but he said nothing for a beat. Then he stood, slow and calculated.

"So," he said, voice low, "you like Theo Kingsley who’s all flirty and touchy... and didn’t wish for the real one to come back?"