Livia met up with Corvin as they walked back to the car. She slid her hand into his and smiled up at him. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to bump her shoulder against his. She enjoyed indulging in spontaneous affection.

Corvin smiled back at her. “You look so happy. You have a lot of fun?”

“Yeah.” She nodded.

“Even with Alex giving you a hard time?”

Livia rolled her eyes. “He’s always like that. I’m used to it now.”

“He means well,” Corvin said.

Livia laid her cheek on Corvin’s shoulder. “Sorry about them finding out about us.”

“They took it rather well,” Corvin said. “I was a little nervous.”

“I was, too,” Livia admitted. “But they were happy for us….”

Corvin squeezed her hand. “I have told you they like you, right?”

“They do?” Livia asked, lifting her head off his shoulder to look into his eyes.

“Oh, yes. You’re our Fabulous,” he insisted.

Livia laughed. “You’re the one that started calling me that.”

“Cause you were an excellent member of the team,” Corvin said.

She gently bumped her hip against his to ward off the compliment, which made him laugh. He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, letting his hand rest on the curve of her hip. He eased her so close that their thighs rubbed together the next time they took a step. That sent a flash of heat to Livia’s cheeks and a swoop straight to her belly.

Livia fumbled her next step, and Corvin had to adjust to keep her upright.

“Sorry, I—sorry,” Livia said.

“I don’t mind,” Corvin said.

Indeed, he seemed to enjoy playing the rescuer. Her weight didn’t inconvenience him. Livia realized how slight her frame was in comparison to his lanky, broad one. Despite his slender build, Corvin was a physically powerful man.

This realization made her shove him away. This time the gesture wasn’t at all playful. Livia’s heart dropped into her stomach as she realized what she’d done. She could have hurt him.

Corvin laughed. His reflexes kicked in, and he caught his balance smoothly. He turned toward her, grinning. Livia backed away, tripped over her own feet, and fell hard on her bottom.

Corvin’s mirth evaporated. “Liv, are you okay?”

“Don’t touch me,” snarled out of her mouth.

Corvin’s eyes widened. “Liv, Hun—”

Livia had backtracked years within the space of two seconds. She clapped her hand over her mouth, and tears filled her eyes. Corvin lowered himself to the ground next to her. “What’s going on?”

Livia shook her head. She was too afraid to remove her hand from her mouth. She had no idea what would spill out.

Corvin tapped her knee. “Come on, Fabulous, spill.”

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Livia shook her head again.

“You hurt?” Corvin asked. “That wasn’t a soft fall.”

Livia shook her head.

“I thought we were playing,” Corvin said. “But you weren’t, were you? You got scared, didn’t you?”

Tears spilled onto Livia’s cheeks, which only made the entire situation more humiliating.

“Take your hand off your mouth, Liv,” Corvin instructed. “Take a breath in your nose and blow it out your mouth. It’ll help you calm down.”

Livia listened because it was more reasonable than anything she’d come up with at that moment. Corvin gave her a good long while to breathe before he spoke again.

“Don’t lie to me, Livia,” he said. “What scared you?”

“It’s not rational!” she cried. “I’m stronger than you.”

“But I am bigger,” Corvin said. “Arik is your size.”

Livia swallowed. “I never pushed him. I only yelled.”

Corvin nodded.

“I’m so sorry,” she said.

“Liv, it’s okay,” Corvin said. “It’s okay to push me out of your space.”

“No, it’s not! I could have hurt you!”

Corvin shook his head. “No. You wouldn’t. You knew exactly how much force you needed to use. Even if it wasn’t conscious, it was not a violent shove. It was a ‘pay-attention’ shove. I thought we were still playing, Hun.”

Livia wiped tears off her cheeks and looked down at the ground.

“What happened, Liv? Why’d you push me?” Corvin asked.

Livia whispered. “I…felt small.”

Corvin’s expression fell. “In what way?”

“You’re strong. I-I-you can hold my body and…I’m small.”

Corvin didn’t smile, but his expression lightened. “It’s kind of cute.”

Livia snorted in shock. “What?”

“You’re so adorable,” Corvin said. “You have this intense personality tucked into a compact frame. You’re lucky we didn’t start calling you General Fabulous.”

“Corvin!” Livia was torn between laughing hysterically and being furious. “I don’t feel small.”

Corvin laughed, holding his side. “I know.”

“So, I don’t like when…you remind me I’m not.”

Corvin laughed louder. “I’m sorry…by the look on your face—”

Corvin looked at the ground and took three deep breaths to contain his amusement. His face was smooth when he looked back up. “I understand the disconnect between how physically powerful you are and how your frame is perceived at large can be frustrating at times.”

Livia exhaled a harsh breath from her nose, frustrated. “Outside Caesarea, everyone treats me like I’m physically weak, and I have to pretend I’m helpless.”

“I saw that. I could tell that it made you unhappy,” he said.

“I’m not helpless!” Livia said.

Corvin studied her face, absorbing her words with studious hazel eyes. As Corvin’s gaze lingered, Livia had a sense of deja vu. Hadn’t she insisted on the same thing this morning?

Corvin said calmly, “It’s important to you that I see you as capable and strong.”

“Cause I am,” Livia insisted.

Corvin asked, “When you stumbled and I held you up did that make you feel helpless?”

Livia looked away.

Corvin saved her from answering that one. “I have another question. Did you pretend to stumble to encourage my physical affection?”

“No!” Livia cried.

“You’re clumsy….”

“I felt…your touch…all the wires in my brain got crossed up.”

Corvin smiled. “Is that a compliment?”

“No!”

Corvin laughed again.

“It’s not funny.”

Corvin looked at the ground and took deep breaths again. He looked up, face smooth. “Liv, Hun, I’m sorry I took your clumsiness as flirting. I’ll be sensitive that…making you feel small…is uncomfortable.”

Livia huffed, still upset.

“Also, I’m sorry about laughing about my touch making the wires in your brain get crossed up. I can understand that…processing sensations is not as straightforward for you.”

Livia should feel better. Instead, she slumped into a huddle of despair. “That’s a lot of things you have to make considerations for….”

“Well, we drive in the winter together now, remember?” Corvin said gently, reminding her she’d made a concession too.

Livia looked up, heart lighter, hopeful. “Right.”

“It’ll be okay,” he told her.

Livia frowned. “What if…do you think…I can get…less sensitive?”

“Yeah, I do,” Corvin said.

“But—” Livia bit her lip.

“No buts yet, Liv. Give me some time to work with you,” Corvin said. He reached out his hand. “Now, come over here and help me up.”

Livia sighed and pulled herself to her feet. She brushed her bottom off and tromped over to Corvin. She grasped his palm with hers and pulled him into a standing position.

It wasn’t until he was towering over her that she realized what he’d asked. “Wait…” she whispered.

She gestured to him. The taller, bigger one. Then to herself. The slighter one.

“You’re pretty strong,” he said, lifting an impressed eyebrow. “Didn’t even struggle to pull up my weight.”

Livia glared at him. She didn’t feel tricked exactly, and she wasn’t mad, but she felt the backwardness of the entire situation and how it would look and appear from the outside. The gender swap, the size difference.

The corner of Corvin’s mouth turned up.

Livia’s lips turned up too.

She was the first one to laugh.