Sabina and MJ were worried, and if Andy switched places with them, she would be, too. "You've been crying a lot, did you know?" Sabina said, and Andy winced. "Doesn't it hurt here, kid?" She touches the tip of her finger to Andy's chest, where her heart is.

Andy nodded. "It hurts a lot," she whispered.

But Andy keeps true to her promise—she calls Rhysand the next day. It doesn't even ring twice before he answers.

"Hey," he says, and Andy's heart breaks more—he sounds so tired, confused. Pained, and desperate, like he's been waiting for her call since last night.

"Hi," Andy answers, pulling at a thread in her blouse. "Are you busy?"

"No." She hears shuffling on the other end. "Can I—can I see you now?"

Andy holds a hand to her chest. She's so, so weak for him. "Yeah. Yes, please."

Andy makes Kyle delete the picture, but she doesn't quit her job. She stays friends with him.

Rhysand doesn't bring it up again.

*

It was Rhysand's fault, that time.

This time, Andy can admit that she was in the wrong.

It starts with Sophia. Andy has time today—she gets off her shift early, she drops by somewhere to run errands and to grab food and calls Rhysand on the way to Sterling, but he doesn't answer.

Andy pouts and sends him a message. Baby are u busy? U in a meeting? :D I got cable biters for our phone and laptop chargers!!! Mine is a puppy and yours is a porcupine. Or u want the whale or the tiger? I'm otw you can choose then :D

In the bus, Andy's plugging in her cable biter, smiling, while waiting for her phone to buzz.

But it doesn't. But Andy doesn't freak out—it just means either Rhysand is in a meeting, or he's incredibly distracted by his work that he didn't notice the notifications.

Still, Andy is skipping happily as she makes her way to his studio. It's empty. Andy hums to herself and sets the food on the coffee table, and grabs Rhysand's charger from his drawer.

Then the door opens, and Sophia walks in. "Oh, hi, Andy."

"Hello," Andy says, blinking. Does she just...come in whenever she wants?

When Rhysand came back from his trip abroad, he told Andy that Sophia tried to make a move on him, but that he pushed her and talked to her, said that what they had was a strict working relationship.

It annoyed Andy, but she kissed Rhysand—thanked him for telling her.

Sophia has a clipboard in her hands, and her heels click against the floor when she walks over, a smile on her annoyingly red lips. In a sickly sweet tone, she says, "I wasn't informed you were buzzed in."

Andy raises an eyebrow. "I'm not buzzed in when I visit. The guard lets me in. Braeden, too."

"Oh, that explains it." She laughs. "Sorry, Rhys doesn't like to be disturbed while he's working, so..."

"So?" Andy's jaw tightens, but she keeps her face neutral. "I know that."

She smiles at her. Andy wants to rip the nails off her fingers. "I don't think we can let non-Sterling employees enter the building anymore."

"This was never a problem before."

"It is now, I'm afraid." She grins. "Do you have a message for Rhys? I'll pass it onto him. He's still in a meeting."

"I'll tell him whatever it is I want to tell him," Andy grits out, planting her hands on her hips. "And Sophia, please keep your claws off my boyfriend, okay? He already told you to, didn't he? Have some respect for yourself—desperation is not a good luck on you."

It's clear Sophia wants to argue, say something back, but the door opens, and Rhysand walks in. "Sunshine," he says, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, I didn't know you were coming."

"I left messages," Andy says.

He shoves his hand inside his pocket.

"Oh, you left it in the recording booth," Sophia pipes up cheerily, handing him his phone. It was in her hand, behind the clipboard, the whole time. "I got it for you."

"Thanks," Rhysand mutters, taking it. "You can leave."

She does.

Rhysand walks over and plops down on his chair. Andy twists around to face him, glaring, arms crossed. "You're fighting with the intern, baby?"

"She was disgustingly rude," Andy answers sharply, still feeling the anger seeping into her skin. "And she kept telling me I couldn't see you anymore."

Rhysand sighs. "You believe her?"

Andy almost laughs. "Of course not."

"Then why are you so angry?" he asks, spreading his legs. "You picking fights now, sunshine?"

Andy's face heats with annoyance. She stalks over to him and plops down on his lap, locking her arms around his neck. Rhysand leans his head down and brushes her hair away from her shoulder, pressing a sweet kiss on her skin. "Are non-Sterling employees not allowed to enter the building?"

"Who the fuck said that," he mutters, pulling her shirt away, sucks on her collarbone.

Andy scoffs. "Your stupid intern."

"It's not true." His breath fans her skin, and Andy tenses. "And she's not my anything."

"The stupid intern, then," she says, gritting her teeth, tilting her head as Rhysand keeps one hand curled around her hip, and the other plays with her necklace on her neck. "Don't let her touch your phone."

Rhysand laughs quietly. Kisses the bruise he sucked on her skin. "Okay."

"And I told her to keep her claws off you."

He groans, tightens his grip on her hips. "That's fucking hot."

Andy feels a smile tug at her lips. "You're mine, baby," she tells him, grabs his face and kisses him.

"Yours," Rhysand breathes, breath catching on a gasp when she pulls at his bottom lip and sucks it, goes back to kissing him, presses further into his lap.

Rhysand locks the door of his studio.

Andy hopes Sophia can hear them.

*

Rhysand chooses the porcupine.

*

The next encounter she has with the intern is not pretty. Not that any of the encounters before had been—it's just...it's uglier, this time.

She catches Andy just as she's stepping out of the elevator. "We need to talk."

"I don't have anything to talk about with you," Andy says, pushing past her.

Sophia grabs her wrist. Her nails dig into her skin, and Andy yanks it back. "What you said about backing off? Sorry, I can't do that."

Andy raises an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Rhys is confused," she says, and Andy wants to laugh in her face. "I can see it. We work well together, he's clearly attracted to me, and I don't get in the way of his career—in fact, I helped him get his promotion. And now, my uncle—without my help—offered Rhys an even bigger promotion, at our branch abroad. He saw his talent. Did you know about this? He's considering it, he wants to take it, it's a huge step to his career. He's a rising producer, Andy. You can't hold him back from that."

Andy pauses. She knows nothing about this.

Then, swallowing, she says, "Good to know you're using your uncle's power to get what you want."

"And I want Rhysand, yes," Sophia says, and it's disgusting how nonchalant she sounds, how determined and confident she is. "I'll go with him abroad when he decides to take the opportunity. He's not ruling it out. 'Sides, you're not the only one he can get hard for."

Andy laughs. "Yeah, right. Are you talking about how you made a move on him? That he pushed you off?"

"Ask him," she says. "There's a video, too. Sorry, Andy. Your relationship is falling apart, anyway."

"You don't know shit," Andy tells her.

"I know enough. I know you're worried about me. Which is why I know you two aren't going to last."

Andy leaves her in the elevator.

Rhysand doesn't glance up from his computer. "Hey, sunshine."

"Were you offered a promotion abroad?"

He raises his head. Stares at her. "How did you know about that?"

Andy's face pales. "You—you didn't tell me."

"Because I'm not considering it," Rhysand says.

"Sophia said you were."

"Why do you keep talking to Sophia?" he demands, standing up from his chair. "You talk to me. You don't go to an intern."

"I didn't, she was the one who told me."

"And why the fuck do you believe her?"

"You just said it was true!"

"I was going to tell you," Rhysand snaps loudly, and Andy flinches. "I didn't even think it was a big deal, I'm not even going to fucking take it."

Andy takes a deep breath. "You—she said something...that she made you hard. What was that?"

"She made a move on me, remember?"

Andy bites her lip. "You didn't tell me how."

His jaw tightens. "She almost gave me an unwanted lap dance during our company dinner," Rhysand answers dryly, eyes blazing with anger. "I didn't get hard. I pushed her off the second I knew what was happening. I told her to back off, I said that what we have is a strict working relationship. I told you this, Sanford, didn't I?"

Her eyes are wet. "I—she said there was a video."

"What I'm saying is not enough proof?" Rhysand snarls incredulously. "You need to watch a fuckin' video to believe me, Sanford, is that it? You don't trust me?"

"You said you were going to make her back off if she ever made a move—"

"And I did, Jesus Christ. I don't think with my fucking dick, Sanford—"

"That's not what I'm saying!"

"Then what are you saying?" Rhysand demands, jaw twitching. "Cut it out with Sophia. It's unprofessional and it's not fun working with someone who's fighting with my girlfriend."

"Why are you siding with her?" Andy cries, balling her hands into fists. "She's the one who's rude, she's the one who told me she's not going to back off, she's the one who kept me from leaving so she can tell me that you're attracted to her and I get in the way of your career!"

Rhysand stares at her. "This is suffocating, Sanford."

"Oh, that's rich of you to say," Andy says with a humorless laugh. "Jesus, that's what you were when you were all up in my ass about Kyle."

"I don't let Sophia flirt with me. I stopped it when she made a move."

"I don't let Kyle flirt with me, either," Andy whispers, bottom lip trembling. "I didn't let Bash flirt with me, too. Are you going to keep thinking that I'm an attention whore? In your words, a slut for other people?"

Rhysand freezes.

Andy squeezes her eyes shut. "I love you," she whispers, and Andy can barely hear herself, she's not sure if Rhysand even heard her. "I love you and I'm going crazy because of it."

I want to be peacefully in love with you, Rhysand. I don't want to go mad, I don't want to lose myself loving you, I don't want to be afraid.

"Then you listen to me," Rhysand says in answer, stepping forward. "You trust me."

"You need to trust me, too!" Andy argues. "This is not a one-way thing, Rhysand. You didn't tell me about the promotion—what am I supposed to think?"

"That's not fair, Sanford," he says through gritted teeth. "I've shared with you everything of me. I've stripped and bared myself open to you. That promotion thing abroad was never an option, I was going to tell you, and what happened with Sophia was not a big deal—nothing even happened—"

"Not to her."

"Who the fuck cares what she thinks!" Rhysand shouts, and the raw anger and fury in his voice makes Andy wince. "Why do you care what she thinks, Sanford! Am I dating her?"

Andy's body shakes. She steps back. "I can't talk like this," she says, hurriedly turning around.

Rhysand's jaw twitches. "You doubt me so easily."

In her anger, Andy says, "Funny, you do, too."

Rhysand doesn't say anything else, and Andy doesn't expect him to.

"I'm going to work, I'll call you later," she mutters, opening the door, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

As soon as she gets to Baked!, Kyle raises his head from the register, and a smile graces his face before he notices the redness around her eyes. "Whoa, hey, Andy, you alright?"

"Fine," she answers, tossing her bag into the break room. She comes out with her apron, quickly tying it around her waist. "Sorry I'm late, was it too busy?"

He stares at her, blinking. "No, not at all. And you're not late, you're like five minutes late, and that's not late."

Andy, despite her shitty mood, manages a small smile. "Good to know."

"Oh, hey," he starts, running a hand through his hair. "I was going to text you but I decided to ask you in person since we're seeing each other today—now—anyway. Anyway, I wanted to ask if you could help me bake something for my little sister's birthday tomorrow—at my place. It's easier, and I can have food delivered so we won't have to go out."

She shrugs. "Sure, no problem."

Kyle blinks. "Oh. Oh, cool. Sure."

Andy smiles at him, and they get to work until their shifts end—and Andy notices there's a text message from Rhysand waiting for her on her phone, and she sighs, pursing her lips

[Attachment: 1 video].

Andy, as much as it makes her feel ashamed, presses play.

It's not even ten seconds long. Rhysand is seated on the couch with Sage and another man she doesn't know, and then Sophia stands in front of him, placing her hands on his shoulders.

Andy watches Rhysand push her off. It's not gentle.

The music is too loud to hear anything, but Rhysand says something to Sophia, and Andy can see her smile fade in disappointment.

And then Rhysand leaves, grabbing his phone off the table.

The message was sent two hours ago. Andy types her reply. I'm off work. Going to Kyle's for

She frowns and deletes that. He'd be mad. He'd never let her go, and they're fighting already, it would make things worse. I'm off work, dropping by Sabina's for a bit. I'll call you later.

She won't be long, anyway.

Andy pockets her phone and joins Kyle outside. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah!" he says brightly, grinning. "Sorry, my place isn't much. My roommate might be home, might be not. Hopefully not. He's a pain in the ass."

Kyle's roommate isn't home, and Andy can see the relief wash over his whole body. She laughs at his exaggeration, and heads to the kitchen with him, where he opens cupboards and takes out ingredients. "Um, so she loves brownies, would that be hard to make?"

"Not at all," Andy answers, shaking her head. "We can do it quick. Can you order food now, though? I'm hungry."

Her friend laughs loudly. "Sure, what are you in the mood for? I'll pay. Least I can do, since you're helping me out."

Andy moves around the kitchen with ease, and Kyle helps as much as he can. His enthusiasm makes up for his lack of skill, and he's eager to learn, and he watches Andy with wide eyes and amazement, like he's never seen brownies being baked before.

"It's just cool," he says, shrugging, as Andy puts them in the oven. "When you open your bakeshop, I'll be your customer every day."

She laughs and leans against the counter. "That's not going to happen. I want to be a teacher."

"I know." His eyes shine. "Suits you."

Andy doesn't know what to say to that, but thankfully, she doesn't have to—their food arrives, and Andy cheers, stomach rumbling.

They eat with their feet up on the tiny dining table with two chairs, and Kyle blushes profusely. "Sorry, it's just me and my roommate."

"I'm fine, don't worry." She gives him a reassuring smile. "Thanks for this."

He stares at her for a few moments, then he clears his throat, looks down, and says, "Well, um, thanks for helping me out."

Andy doesn't want to bring this up.

She really doesn't. Still, she asks, "Kyle, do you like me?"

The boy's head whips up so fast she's afraid he might've snapped his neck. "Wh-what?"

"Do you like me?" she asks again, raising her eyebrow.

Kyle, the poor boy, looks like he wants to die. "I—I mean I did, but then I found out you have a boyfriend, and I—I don't know, I didn't ask you here to hit on you, God, I had a tiny crush—fuck it, I have a tiny crush, but don't worry, it's not going to affect our friendship. We're just friends, I know. Don't—don't worry about it, I'll get over it on my own. We're friends. Right?"

Andy can't help but grin. "Yeah. We're friends."

Kyle exhales heavily. "Cool."

She bites her lip. Then, quietly, she says, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he tells her, shaking his head. "Don't—I wasn't expecting anything. I'll get over it, I promise."

Andy has never felt more relieved. "Thank you."

"Eat up."

And Andy doesn't know how it happens—but she falls asleep on Kyle's couch.

After packing up the brownies, she thinks she doesn't want to go back to her dorm yet—there are two strangers occupying MJ and Sabina's beds and desks and spaces. She thinks she could just sit on the couch for a while, watch the movie playing, then walk home. She's exhausted, she just wants to rest for a while.

She doesn't realize she fell asleep.

Kyle is asleep next to her, and her head is resting on his shoulder.

"Oh, God." Andy wakes up with a jolt, scrambling for her things. "Oh my God. Kyle!"

"Huh?" His eyes blink open, blearily squinting against the light. "Oh, we fell asleep."

Heart racing, Andy checks her phone.

There are thirty-seven missed calls—all from Rhysand. Her group chat with MJ and Sabina is alive—they're asking where she is, and they're worried, and her friends have called her several times each.

She was asleep for two hours.

"I have to go," she mutters, grabbing her bag. "I'm sorry, I'll see you tomorrow."

Kyle scrambles to his feet and opens the door. "I'll walk you home."

"No, don't, it's okay." She starts running down the stairs, pulling up her phone, fingers shaking to call Rhysand. "I'll—"

The Jeep is parked out front, and Rhysand slams the driver's door closed, stalking up to her. From this far, Andy can see the uncontrolled fury in his eyes.

Andy swallows thickly. "Rhys, I'm sorry—"

Kyle appears behind her. "Andy—"

Rhysand swings his arm. It hits Kyle square in the jaw, Andy hears his fist slam into his face, and Andy screams in shock, covering her mouth with her hands. "Jesus Christ, Rhysand!"

Kyle stumbles, dazed, and his lip is bleeding.

Rhysand stares at Andy. "You were with him this whole time?"

"Nothing happened," Andy rushes to say, shocked, and confused, and panicked. "We came from work, he asked me to help him bake, I did, and then I fell asleep on the couch—nothing happened, Rhys, please."

He doesn't say anything. He turns around and walks away.

Andy doesn't waste a second. She follows after him, but Kyle grabs her arm. "Andy, I don't think I can leave you alone—"

"I'm fine," she tells him, pulling her arm back, shaking her head. "Please, it's fine, we're fine, he's not going to hurt me. I'm sorry, I'll see you tomorrow."

Andy chases after Rhysand, immediately closing the driver's door when Rhysand pulls it open. She stands in front of it and swallows the lump in her throat. "Rhys, talk to me. Nothing happened—"

"Think about what you would feel if I fell asleep in Sophia's place," Rhysand says, voice and face void of emotion, and Andy's panicking, doesn't know what to do—"And I told you I was going to see Sage."

Andy swallows hard. "That's—that's different, Kyle is my friend—"

"It's not fucking different!" Rhysand yells, his fist slamming into the door of his vehicle, and Andy flinches, she flinches and steps back, heart jumping in her throat, and her eyes are wet and she doesn't know what to do. "You lied to me, you weren't answering your fucking phone and I find you here!"

"And I keep saying that nothing happened!" Andy shouts back, voice breaking. "You don't believe me?"

"You didn't believe me either," he spits bitterly. "You needed the fucking video. Not fun being accused of now, is it? Where's my proof, Sanford? Let's ask him for a CCTV footage, maybe that way I can fucking believe you—"

"Nothing happened," Andy whispers miserably, repeats it again and again and again, shaking her head, eyes blurry with tears, "I'm sorry I lied, but nothing happened, Rhysand, please, please, nothing happened—"

"It's the same thing," he says, chest heaving, gaze wild and angry. "You were with him, here, in his fucking apartment, while I was losing my goddamn mind."

"Don't—don't leave," she sobs, moves to close the door when he opens it again, and she shakes her head, squeezing her eyes shut. "Please, please, don't leave. I wasn't—I'm sorry, please, I didn't mean to. It was a mistake, we were fighting already, please, I'm sorry."

"You text him on my bed," Rhysand says. Stares at her. Andy can't see the man she loves. "You text him on my bed, Sanford."

"But I was on your bed," Andy whispers brokenly. She can't see him beyond the wetness clouding her eyes. "But I was on your bed, those texts meant nothing—"

"If," he cuts her off sharply, and Andy wants to hunch over herself, wants to throw up, "if I told you I was dropping by Sage's for a bit. And you found me in Sophia's place. What would you do?"

Andy knows the answer. Rhysand knows she knows it.

She shakes her head and whimpers. "I'd talk to you."

"That's bullshit."

"Rhysand, please," she whispers pathetically, and her voice cracks, and her whole face is throbbing, swollen with exhaustion, with pain, with desperation and panic, "Rhysand, Rhysand, please, please, please."

"You'd break up with me, right?"

Andy chokes on her whimper.

"Get in," Rhysand says. "Get in, I'll take you to your dorm."

Andy can hear her chest crack, but he's not leaving her yet. He hasn't—hasn't dumped her yet, she still has hope. She can still fix this.

*

Jenner passes him his lighter. "What happened now?"

Rhysand lights his stick. Doesn't answer his friend.

"Jesus, Rhys, what did you do this time?"

He keeps quiet.

Jenner sighs. Lights his own stick. "Andy is a saint for putting up with you."

"What, are you in love with her, too?" Rhysand snaps, raising his eyebrow.

He gives him a flat stare. "Man, come on. You know it's not her fault when her friend likes her."

"It becomes her fault when she lies to me about it."

"Okay, that's fair. Still. Andy is—she made a mistake, but she probably didn't want to add fuel to the fire. You guys were already fighting about Sophia."

Rhysand doesn't answer him. Blows out his smoke.

"So did you break up with her?" Jenner asks tiredly. "You're done?"

"No," Rhysand answers quickly. "No. I just needed—I needed to cool off. And she was crying so much."

He can still hear her sobs. Her whimpers. Rhysand can feel his own chest tightening in pain.

Rhysand takes a staggering breath. "I—I'm terrified."

"No shit," Jenner says. "You're terrified she's going to abandon you, Rhys? That it?"

"And she's not going to choose me," Rhysand says. "I'm crossing my fuckin' fingers that she chooses me, but I know she won't."

"You don't know shit. Andy loves you so much that she doesn't know what to do with herself."

"Even if she does," Rhysand continues, taking another staggering breath, "even if she does...she's going to fall apart loving me. Imagine tearing apart the fucking sun."

Jenner blows out his smoke. "That's not going to happen, Rhysand."

It will. He knows it will.

"I don't know why she puts up with me, either," Rhysand says, placing the cigarette back in his mouth. His fingers play with Jenner's lighter, and he watches the fire appear. Disappear. Appear again.

He'll burn his own body before he watches the light die in Sanford's eyes.

*

Rhysand forgives her.

Andy doesn't talk to Kyle again. She asks Erika to switch out their shift hours.

They don't talk about the promotion.

When Andy visits Sterling, she makes sure Sophia isn't there.

They don't talk about her, either.