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nodded, looking around. “I think so. If you hear something crash, then it's me, falling over.”
                  “I'll be sure to come save you before you drown in the shower,” Karic said with an easy smile. “You go ahead and get in. I'll leave some clothes outside the door. Feel free to use anything you find in there, too. There'll be some food waiting when you get out.” From the way Camilla's stomach growled at that, she approved.
                  “Thank you. Really,” she said again, meeting his eyes.
                  “You're welcome. Really. Just holler if you need something.” And he went into his room, leaving her to it while he hunted down clothes for her.
     
     

Chapter 4: Bonding
     
    Karic awoke to the smell of food cooking, and he frowned in confusion. He was the only one who lived here, and his cooking skills were mediocre at best, so he mostly lived on take out and things that could be microwaved. Certainly he'd never been woken up on a Wednesday morning to the smell of—he inhaled deeply—bacon and blueberries? What the hell was going on?
                  It took several minutes for his brain to wake up enough to catch up to his body, and memories of the night before came flooding back to him in a rush. Finding Camilla on the side of the road, bringing her home. It was perfectly plausible that she was the one in his kitchen making food that smelled like heaven and made his mouth water. He couldn't even be upset at the thought of her going through his refrigerator and cabinets to find things to make, especially when he looked at the clock at his bedside and realized it was closing in on noon. He had really not meant to sleep that late, but he'd been worn out from his shift and everything that had happened after, so it made sense that he had slept in.
                  When the smell proved to be just too intoxicating to ignore, he hauled himself out of bed, pulling a pair of sweatpants on over his boxers before he headed down the stairs, scratching at his head. “Wow, it smells amazing in here,” he said as he walked into the kitchen, and he had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing when Camilla jumped, startled. “Sorry,” he said quickly once she had turned to look at him. “I thought you would have heard me coming.”
                  She gave him a small smile. “I was…kind of in the zone, I guess. It's been a while since I cooked anything.”
                  He wouldn't have known if she hadn't told him because the way she moved, flipping and plating and garnishing, it seemed like she had been doing this forever. “Wow,” Karic breathed. “I don't think my kitchen's been used like this in all the time I've had it. Are you sure you're not a professional?” He hadn’t seen anyone cook like this since he was a little kid, sitting at the kitchen table and watching his mother make breakfast for the family.
                  Camilla's cheeks went a fetching shade of pink at the compliment, but she shook her head quickly. “I'm sure. I…they used to have me cook a lot…back home. But then someone else joined the pride that was better at it, and…” she trailed off, and Karic didn't push her to finish the sentence. It was obvious that she had real issues and bad experiences where her pride was concerned, and he didn't want to repay her for making him breakfast (or was it brunch at this point?) by making her sad.
                  “Well, it looks awesome,” he said firmly. “Can I do anything to help? I feel kinda useless standing in my own kitchen doing nothing.”
                  He was relieved when that got her to smile. “You could set the table? And pour juice? I'm going to have my hands full in a minute getting all this to the table.”
                  “Can do,” Karic replied with a wink and went to it, getting down more plates and glasses