Our tours together have only changed in how they feel. The connection between us has a heartbeat now as I let her explore the world through my eyes. But we still rarely use the messages, and I stay quiet so she can hear what she would if she were standing next to me.

Most of the time.

“Hi,” I say, panning the abandoned bridge.

A red dot appears seconds later.

SAINTR: Hey.

That’s it. I stand in the center and return to watching the water, shifting her view every so often. After a while, I finish crossing the river. She ends the tour, and I snag my earbuds out of my hoodie pocket. I slip them in as she calls. When I answer, I flip the camera from the Longhorns logo on my chest to the cobblestone street.

And I get the immaculate view of her tits. I close my eyes and exhale through my nose, fucking tormented I can’t suck those pretty pink nipples into my mouth.

“I hate you.”

“Now who’s the liar?” she rasps. “Is this better?”

I peek an eye open and groan. “Fuck you, Remi. And fuck that mouth.”

One side of that mouth hitches. It’s all I see other than part of her jaw pressed against a pillow. “Why are you giving tours in the middle of the night?”

“Why are you taking them when it’s the middle of the night in Europe?”

“One of my favorite guides signed on, so⁠—”

“Baby, don’t make me track down everyone in the beta program when I get back to America. Try again. Tell me which guide signed on.”

“My favorite,” she mouths, over-enunciating. Such a fucking tease.

I lean against a building near the bridge, in no hurry to return to the tense bubble waiting for me. “I can’t stand being still for too long. Music usually helps, but I needed to move tonight. Explore.” My head rests back on the stone facade. “Plus, Chase is mad at me, and I don’t know why. Being in the flat with him acting like I don’t exist is getting to me. It added to me wanting to be anywhere else.”

She knows the trip originated thanks to my best friend’s impulsiveness. I know I have hers, Sage, to thank for the Halloween costume.

“I’m sorry.” Her mouth downturns, and she sighs. “I requested the tour because I want to be anywhere else right now, too. And my favorite guide is also my favorite escape.”

Fuck, I like that way too much. Being her favorite, her escape—her anything. This woman took me hostage, turned me into the one seeking her out, and now I might very well become a beggar at her feet. All without letting me see her face in its entirety.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.