He opened DoorDash and selected the closest Thai restaurant. It was hard to fuck up Thai. He selected meals without looking at them, adding coconut rice and roti bread for good measure. When the app suggested spring rolls, he chucked them on too. She could eat them tomorrow. He punched in her address and hit deliver.

“There,” he said, grumpy beyond all belief. “Get ready to eat.”

“Feeder.”

“Nightmare.”

She whacked his shoulder. “I eat, you know. I eat all the time.”

Willow pointed to her kitchen. “If I open the fridge, will I find anything except Bang Energy and old mustard?”

She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll have you know I didn’t buy any energy drinks this week because of you and your propaganda.”

“Congratulations.” Willow grabbed her ankle, shaking it lightly. “You drive me fucking nuts.”

“How nuts?”

“Oh, I can show you.” He lifted her off him and laid her down on the couch. Seeing the old t-shirt behind her head, he yanked it away. “Fuckin’ mess everywhere.”

Eden giggled. “Shouldn’t you be tired from your game?”

“Tired’s a state of mind. Now, do you want angry kisses or what?”

Eden came just as their food arrived, screaming so loud she probably scared the delivery guy. Willow tucked his cock into his waistband and collected the steaming bags at the door.

“I might shower before we eat,” Eden called. “Is that okay?”

“Sounds good, baby.”

As she ducked away, Willow waited about ten seconds before diving in. As she showered, he cleared her dining table, putting crusty plates and cutlery in the dishwater and shoving rubbish into the overflowing bin. He wiped her table down with an ancient sponge and once the shower stopped running, he moved to the kitchen sink and started washing dishes.

It wasn’t a bad little apartment but it didn’t suit Eden. She should have had a place by the water. Some big, rambling house with a garden and plenty of sun streaming through the windows. Somewhere she could relax when she wasn’t making music.

Eden emerged in a pink towel as he was scrubbing her cupboard doors.

“Wow, you weren’t lying about this cleaning thing.”

“Nope.” Willow dropped the sponge and pointed to a tub of Pad Thai. “Time to eat.”

They sat and as usual Eden ate fast, as though she’d forgotten hunger until she tasted food. He watched her with satisfaction. Looking after her always felt amazing. Maybe even better than running out onto the footy field, although he had no idea what that said about him.

She picked up a spring roll and took a bite. “So, the Francis post… Did you see it on your own, or did someone show it to you?”

Willow sighed. He hadn’t wanted to bring this up while Eden seemed vulnerable. “One of the guys on my team showed me.”