The helicopter's blades cut through the air overhead, whipping my hair and dress into a frenzy as it descended.
"Who's coming?" I turned to Sergio and caught something cross his face — a tightening around his jaw, a coldness in his eyes that disappeared the moment he noticed me watching.
"Just some people. Nothing for you to worry about." He paused, then softened his tone deliberately. "By the way — we're bonded, Elena. Don't you think 'Dr. Zimmer' is a little distant?"
The question caught me off guard. "Then what should I call you?"
"Serg." He stepped closer and smoothed my windblown hair back from my face. "And I'd like to call you Coco, if that's alright."
Something crawled along my skin the moment the nickname left his mouth. Goosebumps rose on my arms, an instinctive recoil I couldn't explain or stop. But he cared for me. He had done nothing but care for me. Refusing felt cruel when I'd already kept him at arm's length for days.
I nodded. "Alright."
