There was a trace of grievance in Derek’s voice as he said it. He couldn’t keep Suzy by his side. When he wanted to visit her, she had refused.

Now that they had finally met again after so long, what was wrong with wanting a little more affection?

"Alright, alright. We’ll see each other every day from now on."

Suzy laughed and ruffled his soft chestnut curls. Then she rose onto her toes and pressed a light kiss against his lips.

The moment she did, Derek’s arm tightened around her waist.

His throat bobbed. Unable to resist, he deepened the kiss.

The warmth inside the room seemed to climb higher and higher. Their faces grew flushed. Their breathing became uneven.

At some point, Derek had shrugged out of his coat.

Taking Suzy’s hand, he guided it toward himself. Bold and direct. Completely unapologetic.

Her fingertips brushed against the firm contours beneath his shirt.

The instant she touched him, Derek visibly tensed. A soft sound escaped him.

"Suzy..." His voice came out lower than usual. "What do you think?"

A faint blush colored his fair cheeks. His lashes trembled slightly.

Combined with those bright amber eyes, he somehow managed to look both innocent and shameless at the same time.

Suzy fought to keep the smile from showing on her face.

"Not bad."

To be fair, she was telling the truth. He clearly took his fitness seriously. The muscle beneath her hand was firm and well-defined. His physique had been maintained remarkably well.

The bedroom Derek had chosen wasn’t particularly large. After taking a few backward steps, he casually dropped onto the bed. Then he tugged lightly at his shirt collar, revealing part of his toned abdomen.

Suzy stood beside the bed watching him. The scene was undeniably pleasant to look at.

For a fleeting moment, she almost wanted to take a picture. Unfortunately, that was where her thoughts ended.

Thomas was still living right next door.

If she and Derek became too carried away and Thomas happened to walk in... The mere possibility made Suzy’s scalp tingle.

No. Absolutely not.

"I’m going to make you something to eat."

She repeated herself firmly before turning toward the door.

Derek froze. He stared blankly as her figure disappeared from the room.

A moment later, the door clicked shut.

She had left. Just like that.

For several seconds, he remained sitting there in complete disbelief.

Then he slowly blinked. The doorway was empty. Not a trace of her remained.

With a defeated groan, Derek collapsed backward onto the bed. Rolling onto his side, he began questioning every decision he’d made.

He had already been this proactive. Why was Suzy still so calm?

Could it be... Could it really be... That he simply wasn’t attractive to her anymore?

The possibility hit him like a truck. Was it because of Thomas? Did she prefer Thomas? Did she think Thomas was better than him?

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

For the first time in a long while, Derek genuinely wanted to cry.

He grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to his chest. The excitement he’d felt all day vanished completely.

Now, he was miserable.

To make matters worse, Suzy didn’t come back immediately either.

Meanwhile, worried that he might be hungry, Suzy headed to the kitchen and personally cooked a bowl of noodles for him.

Ten minutes later, she arrived outside his room and knocked.

"I made something for you."

She waited, but no answer came.

After another moment, she pushed the door open. Derek was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, a pillow clutched in his arms.

"Did you fall asleep?"

Walking over, she poked his cheek. Immediately, Derek opened his eyes. Their gazes met.

"I made noodles. Come eat before they get cold."

Suzy reached out and ruffled his hair.

"I’m not hungry." He deliberately turned his face away.

"They won’t taste good once they cool down."

No response.

Suzy sighed.

"Fine. Eat when you feel like it. If you’d rather have something else, there are plenty of options in the refrigerator."

After saying that, she started to stand. At once, Derek grabbed her wrist.

"Where are you going?"

Finally, he looked up.

"I still need to take some supplies downstairs."

The answer immediately made him sit upright.

"To whom?" His eyes narrowed. "That guy downstairs?"

Suzy nodded.

Liam had helped her before. She still hadn’t properly thanked him.

They had already agreed earlier that she would bring some things over later. There were supplies she needed to organize first, so she couldn’t stay here much longer.

The moment he heard her answer, Derek sat up straighter.

"Then I’m going with you."

Suzy knew arguing would be pointless. In the end, she simply agreed.

The second she stepped out of the room, Derek followed close behind. It was as if he wanted to keep her within sight at all times. He walked so close that she could practically feel him at her back.

Looking over her shoulder, Suzy laughed.

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes," Derek answered without hesitation. There was a faintly aggrieved note in his voice.

"I finally got here, and now you’re running off to see someone else."

"I’m delivering supplies, not going on a date." Suzy pointed toward the bowl of noodles on the table. "Eat first. I’ll organize everything."

To his credit, Derek behaved. He sat down and obediently started eating.

Meanwhile, Suzy busied herself gathering supplies.

After spending a few minutes inside an empty room, she emerged carrying several large bags.

These were all intended for Liam and Noah.

The bags contained food, winter necessities, and even medical supplies.

By the time she returned, Derek had already finished his noodles. His gaze moved across the collection of bags.

Then he fell silent.

"So much stuff?"

His expression was difficult to describe.

Suzy nodded. "It’s not that much."

Derek stared at the supplies for another moment before muttering under his breath,

"Suzy, why are you so nice to him?"

The question escaped before he could stop it.

Because if he was being honest... He was beginning to worry.

That perhaps Suzy had taken a liking to the guy downstairs too.

The thought irritated him immediately. The man was admittedly good-looking.

Which only made the entire situation more annoying.