"That I liked him?" Mera considered. "Probably when he held me after the first time. Just held me without trying to leave or make it weird. That's when I knew he was different."
"Different from what?"
"From what I expected." Mera finished her curry, setting the container aside with a satisfied sound. "I thought he'd be like the file. Rich playboy, uses people, doesn't care. But he asked if I was okay. Multiple times. Like my answer actually mattered to him, not just the polite thing to say."
Cheon remembered Rome asking her the same thing. Not just once but repeatedly throughout that entire overwhelming first night, checking her reactions, making sure she wanted what was happening. His voice kept dropping into that quieter register that meant he was paying attention to more than just what she said.
"He does that," Cheon agreed quietly.
