"Luke!"

The moment Lauren spotted him at the other end of the hospital corridor, her face lit up. She hurried toward him, weaving around two nurses and a family gathered outside one of the examination rooms.

Her long black hair swayed behind her, and the exhaustion that had lingered on her face earlier disappeared beneath a warm smile.

Luke barely had time to greet her before she reached him, wrapped both hands around his arm, and pressed close to his side. His body immediately stiffened as heat rushed into his cheeks and spread to his ears.

The corridor was crowded with hospital staff, police officers, and people waiting for relatives to finish their examinations. Several of them glanced over, but no one seemed surprised by the reunion.

To anyone watching, Lauren probably looked like an affectionate mother relieved to see her injured son. That possibility never crossed Luke’s mind. He was far too aware of her soft body against his arm and the relief shining in her eyes.

"Miss Lauren..." He lowered his voice, unsure what to do with his free hand. "I’m glad you’re looking much better."

"I am." She held on to him for another moment before leaning back to examine his face. "What about you? Did they check your shoulder properly?"

Luke carefully rolled it. The movement caused a faint ache, but it was nothing compared to the pain he had felt when the criminal threw him across the café.

"They said there wasn’t any serious damage."

"They also told you to rest."

"I rested."

"For less than an hour."

"It still counts."

The look she gave him made her opinion clear, and Luke smiled despite himself. Seeing her fuss over him eased some of the tension that had remained since the battle.

Part of him had been afraid that the awakening, the violence, or whatever Powerforge had done to their bodies might have changed her, but she was still more concerned about his injuries than her own.

After studying him one last time, Lauren gave a reluctant nod. "We’re both well enough to leave. They’re giving us a ride home."

"Home?"

The word slipped out before Luke could stop himself.

Her gaze grew gentler. "Yes, Luke. Home."

His throat tightened. He was still getting used to hearing her say it so naturally.

Before Lauren took him in, home had meant a place where people tolerated him until he became inconvenient. Even after moving into the apartment above the café, he sometimes caught himself thinking of his bedroom as borrowed space.

Lauren never treated it that way.

"What about the café?" he asked. "The front windows were broken, and part of the ceiling collapsed."

"I asked about that." Her smile returned. "They sent a hero with a restoration ability while we were being examined. I was told our home is safe and everything has already been repaired."

Luke barely heard anything after our home. She had not called it her café or her apartment.

She had included him without hesitation, speaking as though there had never been any doubt that he belonged there.

When he realized she was waiting for an answer, he managed, "That’s good."

"Only good?"

"It’s great."

Quiet amusement entered her expression. She clearly noticed that his mind had drifted elsewhere, but she chose not to tease him. Instead, her fingers slid down his arm until they found his hand.

"I want to talk once we’re home," she whispered.

Luke’s heart thudded once against his ribs. "Talk?"

"Mhm."

Her smile revealed nothing as she guided him toward the elevators.

Plenty of subjects could justify a serious conversation. The awakening response officers had questioned both of them separately, asking what they had felt during the fight, whether they could still access their abilities, and whether Powerforge had shown them any unusual notifications.

They had also asked whether either of them would consider becoming a hero.

Any one of those subjects would have been important enough to discuss, but Luke’s thoughts kept circling back to Yvonne and whether Lauren was finally ready to tell him the truth.

She already knew he had started putting the pieces together. After the battle, he had noticed the sadness that crossed her face when she saw the damaged headsets.

She had also understood immediately when he concealed the existence of their two additional systems from the police. The look they shared afterward had confirmed more than either of them said aloud.

By now, Luke was almost certain Lauren and Yvonne were the same woman, and that certainty made him even more nervous.

Lauren was the blindfolded oracle who had teased him inside the Dungeon of Truth. She was also the woman who had sat astride his hips, pressed her body against him, and nearly kissed him after they defeated the Dread Devourer.

He had no idea what he was supposed to say when she admitted it.

Should he tell her he had already figured it out? Did he need to apologize for everything he had thought and said around Yvonne? Was an apology even necessary when Lauren had deliberately chosen an outfit that barely qualified as clothing?

His face grew warmer as the elevator doors closed.

Still holding his hand, Lauren studied him for several seconds. "Are you feeling dizzy?"

"No."

"Nauseous?"

"No."

"Then why are you so red?"

Luke focused on the elevator display. "The hospital is warm."

Her mouth curved slightly. "Mhm."

That sound made his stomach tighten because Yvonne used the same tone whenever she knew he was hiding something.

Fortunately, the elevator doors opened before Lauren could question him further.

A uniformed police officer waited near the hospital entrance. He had been assigned to drive them home and looked much friendlier now that he was no longer standing inside the ruined café.

The ride began quietly. Lauren sat beside Luke in the back instead of taking the front passenger seat.

Their shoulders touched whenever the car turned, and neither of them made any effort to move away.

After the first few minutes, the officer tried to start a conversation.

"That restoration hero they sent is something else," he said, keeping his attention on the road. "I saw him rebuild half a storefront after a villain attack last year. Took him less than twenty minutes."

"That sounds useful," Luke replied.

"It is. Expensive too. His deployment fee is normally..." The officer glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "Actually, you’re probably better off not knowing."

Lauren lifted an eyebrow. "They’re charging us?"

"No, ma’am. The government is covering everything."

"That’s generous."

The officer gave a short laugh. "I wouldn’t call it generosity, but that’s above my pay grade."

He paused, clearly waiting for them to ask what he meant, but neither Luke nor Lauren did.

Several streets later, he tried again. "This is the first time I’ve transported newly awakened citizens."

Luke turned toward the window while Lauren folded her hands in her lap.

"Must feel strange," the officer continued. "You wake up without powers one morning, and suddenly you have them."

"Yes," Lauren said politely. "It does."

Her tone remained pleasant, but it ended the conversation. The officer seemed to understand, so he turned on the radio at a low volume and stopped trying to act like a talkative taxi driver.

Luke was grateful for the silence.

Every mile brought them closer to the café and whatever Lauren wanted to discuss. He rehearsed several possible responses in his head, but none of them sounded right for more than a few seconds.

When the police vehicle finally stopped outside the building, he almost failed to recognize it.

The front windows were whole again. No cracks marked the brickwork, the damaged sign had been repaired, and the entrance showed no trace of the criminal who had smashed through it.

Even the tables visible through the glass had been returned to their proper places.

Lauren stepped out and stared at the building with one hand raised to her lips. The officer opened the trunk and removed the small bags containing their belongings, but she barely noticed.

Her attention remained fixed on the café as she slowly crossed the sidewalk.

Luke thanked the officer, accepted the bags, and followed her.

At the entrance, Lauren ran her fingers over the restored wood near the handle. The surface was completely smooth, without even a scratch where the criminal’s attack had torn through it.

"They really repaired everything," she whispered.