She crossed the room and opened the door.
He stood there holding a small bouquet of grocery-store flowers, but when he saw her, he stopped.
His eyes widened, then softened into a smile.
“Mara,” he said quietly. “You look incredible.”
She felt her cheeks warm. “Thank you.”
He stepped inside, his gaze lingering a moment too long before returning to her face.
“Your outfit,” he said. “It really suits you.”
Mara let out a small laugh. “I wasn’t sure it would even fit.”
She smoothed the edge of her top without thinking. “It barely does.”
A pause settled between them. Not awkward. Just aware.
“I’m not wearing a bra,” she added, quieter now. “None of mine fit anymore.”
Marcus blinked once, then nodded. “I noticed.”
“It’s not a big thing,” she said quickly. “I just… couldn’t make any of them work.”
His expression shifted, thoughtful. “That sounds frustrating.”
Then, after a moment, “But you look comfortable.”
He studied her again. “You’ve changed,” he said.
She hesitated, then let herself say it.
“I’ve been eating more. On purpose.”
His eyebrows lifted slightly. “On purpose?”
She nodded. “Nothing extreme. Just… more than I used to. I wanted to see what would happen.”
“I liked it,” she said. “Not just the food. This.” She gestured to herself.
Marcus’s gaze followed, then returned to her face.
“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want it to feel like I was doing it for you.”
She hesitated. “Not entirely.”
That earned a small smile from him.
“I thought something might be different,” he said.
Mara let out a breath, some of the tension leaving her.
“I haven’t eaten all day, though,” she admitted. “I was worried this wouldn’t fit if I did.”
His expression changed. Sharper now.
He let out a quiet breath. “Okay. Then we should fix that.”
A small smile returned to her face. “I’m starving.”
“Good,” he said lightly. “Then you’ll enjoy dinner.”
He stepped toward the door, then glanced back at her.
“And don’t worry about how you look while you eat,” he added. “That’s not something I’m keeping score on.”
Her stomach rumbled softly as she stepped out beside him.
This time, she didn’t try to ignore it.
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