Chapter 72

Cecilia

The apartment was dark except for the glow of my laptop screen, casting blue light across the mountain of paperwork spread across the coffee table.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to focus on the quarterly projections Marcus had sent over.

"It's two in the morning."

I looked up to find Arthur leaning against the bedroom doorway, wearing nothing but sweatpants, his hair mussed from sleep. Even exhausted and rumpled, he looked unfairly attractive.

I groaned and let my head fall back against the couch. "This month has been insane."

His arm came around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. "We've both been playing catch-up."

He wasn't wrong. Between Margaret's party, Alice's recovery, and the aftermath of everything with Sophia and Madison, we'd barely had time to breathe, let alone keep up with our actual jobs.

The past few weeks had been a blur of early mornings and late nights, stolen moments between meetings, texts that said miss you and working late again more often than anything else.

"I miss you," I said quietly. "Even when we're in the same room, I feel like I haven't really seen you in weeks."

"I know." He pressed a kiss to my hair. "But we're almost through it. Just a few more days until the holiday break."

Right. The holiday break.

"What are you thinking for the break?" I asked, my eyes already drifting closed. The warmth of his body and the steady rhythm of his breathing were making it hard to stay awake.

"Actually," Arthur said, and something in his tone made me force my eyes back open. "I need to go to the desert."

I blinked, processing. "The desert?"

"There's a technical issue at one of our research facilities. I need to be there in person to oversee the solution." He paused. "It's in the Mojave."

"Oh." I tried to hide my disappointment. "How long will you be there?"

"A week, maybe. Depends on how quickly we can isolate the problem." His hand moved to my hair, fingers combing through it in. "It's not ideal timing, I know."

"It's fine," I said, even though it wasn't. "Work is work."

Silence settled between us, and I felt my eyes start to close again. I was so tired.

"Come with me."

The words pulled me back from the edge of sleep. "What?"

"Come with me," Arthur repeated, his voice taking on that particular quality that meant he'd just made a decision and wasn't planning to be talked out of it. "To the desert. We can make it a trip."

I turned my head to look at him. "Arthur, you just said it's the middle of nowhere. What am I supposed to do while you're fixing technical problems?"

"I don't know. Read? Relax? Enjoy the fact that there's no one around to bother you?" He shifted so he could see my face better. "Ceci, we've barely spent any real time together in weeks. This could be good for us."

"In the desert," I said flatly. "Where there's nothing to do and it's probably freezing at night."

"It's actually quite beautiful," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Clear skies, stars like you wouldn't believe. The facility has comfortable accommodations. And I promise I'll make it worth your while."

I wanted to say no. But the way he was looking at me, the hopeful note in his voice—

"You really want me to come," I said.

"I really want you to come." His hand cupped my face. "I know it's not ideal. I know you probably had other plans. But I don't want to spend a week away from you, Ceci. Not after barely seeing you for a month."

I sighed, feeling my resistance crumble. "Fine. But if I'm bored out of my mind, I'm blaming you."

"Deal." He kissed me, slow and sweet, and I felt some of the tension I'd been carrying ease. "Thank you."

We sat there in comfortable silence, and I was just starting to drift off again when a thought occurred to me.

"Alice," I said suddenly, sitting up. "Alice is back."

Arthur blinked at the non-sequitur. "I know. Max texted me yesterday. She's doing well, apparently."

"I should call her." I was already reaching for my phone. "Invite her to come with us. She's been cooped up recovering for weeks."

"Ceci, it's two in the morning."

"She's probably awake. She's always been a night owl." I was already pulling up her contact.

The phone rang three times before Alice picked up, her voice groggy but alert. "Ceci? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," I said quickly. "Sorry, I know it's late. I just wanted to ask you something."

"At two AM?" But I could hear the smile in her voice now, the fondness. "This better be good."

"How do you feel about the desert?"

There was a pause. "The... desert?"

"Arthur's going to the Mojave for work during the holiday break, and he's dragging me along. I was thinking—you just got back, you're probably going stir-crazy, and maybe you'd want to come? Get out of the city for a bit?"

"The Mojave," Alice repeated slowly. Then, more enthusiastically: "Actually, that sounds amazing. I've been going insane stuck in the apartment. Max has been worrying about my injury, but I’ve fully recovered now, and—" She stopped abruptly.

"You should bring Max," I said, understanding immediately.

"You wouldn't mind?" Alice's voice was careful, uncertain. "I know Max can be... a lot."

"He's your boyfriend," I said simply. "And you're my best friend. Of course I don't mind."

I heard her breath catch. "Thank you. Really. You have no idea how much—" She broke off, clearing her throat. "Yes. We'll come. Max will probably be thrilled."

"Perfect." I smiled, feeling genuinely excited now. "It'll be fun. The four of us, middle of nowhere, no drama."

"Famous last words," Alice said, but she was laughing. "Okay. Text me the details when you have them. And Ceci? Thank you. For everything."

After we hung up, Arthur was watching me with that expression he got sometimes—soft and fond and a little amused.

"What?" I said.

"You're good with her," he said quietly. "With Alice. The way you just... know what she needs before she says it."

"She's been through a lot. And she did the same for me, at the villa. It's what friends do."

"Not everyone has friends like you two." He pulled me back against him, and I went willingly, tucking my head under his chin. "I'm glad she's coming. And Max—that'll be good. Give him something to focus on besides worrying about her constantly."

"Speaking of people who need to get out more," I said slowly, an idea forming. "What about Carter? When's the last time you talked to him? Really talked to him?"

"Last week. He's... managing. Dealing with the fallout from Sophia."

"By hiding in his apartment and refusing to see anyone," I said. "That's what Catherine told me. She said Carter's barely left his place since the engagement fell apart."

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "It hit him hard. Sophia was—he really thought she was the one."

"Then he needs his friends," I said firmly. "He needs to get out of that apartment and remember there's a world outside of what happened with Sophia."

I twisted to look up at Arthur. "Invite him. To the desert. Make it a guys' thing if you have to—tell him you need help with the technical problem, or that you want his opinion on something. Just get him to come."

"Ceci—"

He sighed. "Alright. I'll call him tomorrow."

I kissed his jaw, then settled back against his chest. "So it's settled."