"Oh, Emma, hi. I'm sorry, I didn't see you," David said and waved with his phone, signaling that he'd been looking at it instead of where he was walking. "It's been a while," he stated, to which all I did was nod back awkwardly.

Yeah, it had indeed been a while, and I'd hoped it would be a long while more. After the creepy vibes I'd gotten from him at the nightclub when he'd warned me about the date rape drug, I'd kept my distance. I'd also told Kevin about it, and both he and Thomas chose to do the same.

Thomas and David had been friends for several years. They used to be tight until Thomas found out how he acted with women, aka me and most definitely others as well. A creep didn't become a creep overnight. Sure, David had apologized, and it might've been sincere, but I wasn't desperate enough to have him as a friend to take that chance.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to covertly look around the street, making sure people were around. Luckily, there were still plenty outside. It wasn't that late yet. I didn't think he would do anything to me, but I couldn't be too careful. After all, I might be the cause of the broken friendship between him and Thomas in his mind. In reality, it had been more about his behavior than anything else. .

"I'm just out stretching my legs. I only live a couple of blocks from here." He shrugged, but the change in pitch in his voice hinted at that not being the case. I might just be paranoid, but hell, one could never be too careful. The world was a dangerous place for a woman, and we always had to be cautious.

"Well...enjoy your walk," I said and inched away from him towards my apartment.

"Emma, wait a second," he requested, his tone pleading, but I just shook my head.

"I have someone waiting on me, so I need to go," I lied.

He looked sad as I walked by him, and the expression on his face almost made me stop, but I didn't. I might've if it was daylight outside and I'd met him in a place I felt safe, just not here and not now.

Hurrying back to my apartment building, I got inside and locked up after me. My grocery bag was momentarily forgotten as I stood in the safety of my apartment, wondering what David had wanted with me. His expression had definitely been sad, and there'd been an almost desperation in his voice as he asked me to give him a minute of time. It could be possible that I'd wrongly judged him, and if that was the case, I was a complete ass for screwing up his friendship with Kevin's boyfriend. But of course, I didn't have the luxury to not be wary of strangers–no woman had that luxury. It didn't stop me from feeling bad about it, though.

Deciding to let the meeting go from my thoughts, I put on some feel-good indie music on my phone and started making dinner. I soon found out it wasn't the same at all cooking alone as it was with Gideon. While it was great challenging myself in the kitchen and trying to make something I hadn't ever made before, the joy of it all just wasn't there without him. There wasn't any buzzing beneath my skin like I had when he was close by, and I didn't feel the excitement like I did when I got him to talk by asking questions. I'd started thinking cooking might be my passion as well, or at least something I'd enjoy, but it turned out Gideon was what made it enjoyable.

I was proud when the tacos were finished, and they turned out okay. I'd like to think Gideon would be proud too. Of course, they weren't a Michelin star meal, but they were alright for someone who just learned to cook.

Later that evening, a text ticked in on my phone from a college friend who would also be at school tomorrow. It was from a woman named Malika, asking if we would meet up tomorrow. We were the kind of friends who only hung out at school. That was my own fault after I'd said "I can't" one too many times when she'd suggested going to a café, nightclub, and other fun stuff. I texted her back that I'd meet her at Peet's coffee near campus before classes would start.

Still feeling tired from yesterday's session with the guys, I quickly got ready for bed.

Each time I was back home and in my own bed, after I'd slept over at one of the guys' place, I felt a little bit emptier. They'd shown me what it was like to have a warm body beside me at night, cuddling closely together as we fell asleep, and how sweet it was to wake up to someone instead of in a cold room by myself. I'd spent twenty-two years without it, and I'd been fine, but now that I knew what it was like, it just made me more addicted to the feeling of not being alone.

My phone rang as I climbed into my bed and settled down. I smiled when I saw it was Callan calling.

"Hi," I greeted him.

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" he asked, probably just making sure I wasn't feeling any other side effects from yesterday. I'd experienced sub drop again after breakfast, and the guys had been so good to me. They hadn't made it easy for me to wallow in negative emotions.

"I'm good. I miss you, though," I admitted, and the deafening silence relayed how much I'd shocked Callan with my confession.

"You do?" he breathed out, almost sounding hopeful.

"Yeah, I miss all of you." Especially now in the lonesome of my own company. It might be cheesy to say, but being with them brought colors to my life, and as soon as they weren't with me, only black and white and shades of grey remained.

"We miss you too, Bella. I'm still occupied with work, but it's nothing I can't postpone, or I can have Mateo or Gideon come to you if you'd want that? We won't hesitate if you need any of us." His offer made me feel warm and tingly, but I shook my head, even though he couldn't see me.

"I appreciate it, but I should get some sleep tonight." I hinted at what would happen if one of the guys came over, which would probably involve lack of sleep.

Callan chuckled, reading between the lines like I knew he would. "Fair enough. Listen, we've been thinking...maybe we should have another talk about our arrangement. Now that we've spent time together and gotten to know one another, we should definitely revisit our agreement." Before I could say anything at all, he added, "We still want you, Bella. That's not what this is about. Hell, we want you so much more now after we've seen how amazing you are."

My lips formed a smile, and my heart was beating wildly as I listened to him.

"So, what do you think? We can do it whenever it suits you."

"I was actually going to suggest the same thing, so I'd like that. How about sometime this week?" I asked, the sooner, the better, especially now that I'd realized my feelings for them. It was important for me to know where they wanted this–us–to go. Them helping me find a dominant, which we hadn't even started searching for, wasn't something I wanted anymore. My heart had already chosen them, and I could only hope they would choose me too. We also needed to talk about the slave subject because while they might want me, I might not be able to give them what they needed.

"We can make that work. I'll talk with the guys and find a time that we're all available," he told me. "Alright, sweetheart, I'll let you go to sleep. I've sent you this week's schedule, and I'll send an updated version once we agree on a date for our meeting. Good night."

"Sounds good. Good night, Callan," I said warmly before I hung up. I went to check my email, and true to his words, a new mail was sent from Callan a few hours ago with the days I would spend with the guys this week. I'd have Gideon on Tuesday, Mateo on Wednesday, and Callan on Friday. Our group night would once again be on Saturday.

This was what I'd wished for, four nights with them and three days for myself, and while I still wanted some time to myself, I'd found out an hour or two was more than enough.

These guys had changed me and my own needs. I'd never been in any kind of relationship, and therefore I never realized how much I craved the intimacy of someone else. I'd practically conditioned myself to survive without it, so much so I thought I didn't need it.

Until them.

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