When I bought a car alone, it took most of the day. The car salesperson led me around the lot, looking at cars I had no interest in buying until finally he gave up and agreed to sell me the vehicle I had shown up to purchase. At that point, I had to sit at his desk filling out paperwork, waiting for it to be processed, and then fill out more paperwork. It was indeed the most time-intensive way to spend thousands of dollars.

When Tim and I arrived, my expectations were low on anything different, but I was very wrong. If anyone were to slow us down, it was Tim, with his fixation on the donut holes available.

"Tim, can you focus? We have enough paperwork ahead of us that donuts shouldn't be your focus," I chided in a darting whisper.

"The paperwork is all in order. I need identification and signature from the new owner, and you're good to go," the salesmen offered as he slid the papers across the desk to me.

"Tim," I Impatiently shot out to him, "he needs your signature."

"Um, no, the car is in Lily Turncott's name," the salesman, an overly smiley middle-aged man named Bob, sneered at me.

"Oh, it's in my name, not Billy...." I cut myself off, realizing that Billy may not want his name discussed.

The salesman gave me a belittling smile before adding, "Mr. Collins was very clear that the car was to be solely in your name."

"Oh, okay," I mumbled as I struggled to get my driver's license from my wallet.

"I'll be right back with your keys." His smile still came as a sneer.

"Is it me, or should that dude smell like cabbage?" Tim joked as he plopped in the chair next to me with three donut holes in his hand.

"What does that mean?"

Tim shrugged. "I guess I don't like him." He shoved a donut hole in his mouth and, after a moment of chewing, added, "you smell like jellybeans."

I smiled to myself at the very Tim compliment.

"Can I drive it back to the house? I love Audis." He added before popping another donut hole in his mouth.

"Sure," I shrugged.

"You don't care about cars at all, do you?" Astonishment filled Tim's voice.

"No, but I appear to have a proclivity for mechanics. Well, one retired mechanic."

"Retired mechanic, not one of his more usual titles," Tim smirked.

The conversation was muted once Bob, the salesman, returned. I only had to sign a few papers, and then he handed me the keys, which I promptly gave Tim.

"Well, enjoy your new car," Bob said with a final sneer of a smile.

"Hey," Tim started as we pulled from the dealership. "I know you're trying to make things work with Billy this time, but you know that doesn't mean just do everything his way, right?"

"Of course I know that." Annoyance slipped into my tone.

"Good, because as much as he wants to win, he loves you because you push him."

"Tim, things like a car and office aren't important enough for me to honestly really care about. If me driving the safest car he can think of and working across the hall from him gives him even the smallest sense of comfort, I'm happy to concede on those things."

"What do you want? What comforts you?"

I let out a sigh. "I'm not sure if it's fair to Billy to discuss them with you, but there are aspects of our relationship that fractured us in the past that I'm trying to figure out how to either make peace with or fix."

"And you are talking to Billy about them?"

"Some of them, but I also want to be careful with what's for me to figure out and what's for us to figure out. You know how Billy is; if he sees a problem, he wants to fix it right then, even if it isn't his to fix."

"But you have to let him in, so he knows. It will make him feel better. Keeping him out made everything so abrupt before."

"Well, I don't plan on abrupt, but if I come across something that feels like a deal-breaker, he'll be the first to know." I let my frustration slip out with a sigh. "Hey, Timmy," I began in a softer tone.

"Mmhmm," he absently spoke without lifting his eyes from the road.

"I love you, and if things don't work out with Billy and me, I won't just run away. That's a promise I make to you."

He pursed his lips like Billy did when something pleased him. "I love you, Lil. I'm not Billy. I just... sometimes people forget that I'm not an extension of him."

"He doesn't forget that," I offered. "And I don't forget that."

Tim let a hand slip to my knee and gently squeezed it. "Well, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other if you're going to be working from the studio," he added in a lighter tone.

"I know; I think that means I'm going to have to start buying my lunch." I tapped my stomach. "Mary has been spoiling me!"

"I know. I can't wait for you to get out of there so she can return to spoiling me," Tim laughed.

"I can't believe you're her favorite!"

"Why is that so hard to believe? I don't know if you realize this, but I'm pretty awesome."

I leaned into his side with a sigh. "I know you're pretty awesome," I admitted.

Billy texted that they were finished with the bathroom as we pulled up his drive.

"How do you like the car?" He asked as he pulled me to his side and placed a kiss on my temple.

"It's great; thank you."

"You don't care about it at all." He let out a throating laugh. "I love that about you."

"Cars just aren't my thing." I shrugged. "Can I steal you for a second, though?" I asked as my eyes darted around to see Tim and Viv teasing each other, while Jackson looked at them with a grin.

"Yeah."

Billy let me tug his 6'4" frame along easily by his hand to his bedroom before I twisted, and his body crashed into mine. He stabilized my ricochet and then settled his gaze on me, waiting for me to begin.

"Hi." I smiled at him, relieved to be back in the comfort of his proximity.

He let out a breath I hadn't realized he had been holding and added his own, "hi."

"I'm sorry I called so many times today."

He pinched my hips tighter. "I like you calling me all the time."

"How has Viv been today?"

"Quiet," he admitted. "I'll try to pull more out of her when we play chess. I want to give her a bit of space."

"Is everything set for dinner with Sarah tonight?"

"Yeah, I plan to get pizza. She thinks something is up, which, honestly, me trying is a bit like something is up."

"I'm proud of you." I let my hands circle his neck as I spoke. "So," I began, but deliberately let my words fail as my eyes fell to his lips.

"Mmhmm." His eyes glowed with hunger as his face dipped closer to mine. "We're doing the right thing going slow, but I want to clarify one essential thing..." His voice came in a hungry growl that curled my toes. He let one hand drop from my hip and catch my leg, pulling it around him and drawing me closer. "I want you every moment of every day."

I didn't realize how much I needed to hear it from him. Billy had perfected being a gentleman; his temperance could easily be confused with disinterest. No words formed from my lips, but that didn't prevent an audible moan from leaving them.

Billy gave up on letting me wobble on one leg and instead dropped his other hand to my lingering leg and pulled it around him as well. He supported me fully before twirling, so the door pressed against my back, and he pressed into my chest. His face sunk to my neck as his lips peppered my collarbone. The sensation caused my fingertips to drive into his shoulders.

"Billy," I managed with little more than a whisper.

He gave a few last kisses to my neck before bringing my face to meet his. His eyes were inflamed, drawing me closer to him as our lips met. The taste of stale coffee lingered on his rough lips as they parted mine. My hand clung to his neck as my thumb found a patch he had missed while shaving. I tried to focus on the patch, allowing my thumb to glide over it so I didn't get sucked fully into his pull. If I let myself focus on the storm of sensation he was sending through me for even a moment, I'd never be able to pull away, and worse, when he pulled away, the mourning of his departing proximity would be a surety.

As though he could read my mind, he slightly parted from me. My face dropped to his chest as I murmured, "you missed a spot," as my thumb washed over the spot he missed shaving.

A muted laugh jolted his chest.

"Well, I guess we don't have to worry about that still working," he added as he kissed the top of my head.

"Seraphina," I mumbled.

"Seraphina," he concurred. "You want to drive to the record store?"

"No, you drive." I sighed at the change in topic.

He tucked me in closer for a last squeeze before he let me down with only the lingering connection being our hands clutched within each other.