He's not really sure where all this came from, if he's being honest with himself. He knew pretty quickly those messages weren't technically for him, but instead of immediately correcting her like he should have done and laughing it off, he'd...played along and confessed something that had been playing at the edges of his mind.

Not the bondage, necessarily. But something more, between them.

He's always hesitated when it came to stuff like this - it's why his older brother always ended up poaching his dates, you're hesitating again, kiddo - and it was true. He always dragged his feet and ended up losing out because he waited too damn long.

Maybe that's what prompted him to reply the way he did - finding out she's making those sorts of appointments with other people did something nasty inside him so...he played along.

And now here he is, heart slamming against his ribcage like a hammer, opening the door with a smile.

"Hey."