The apartment smelled like coffee and toasted bread.
Alexander stood at the kitchen counter in a plain T-shirt and sweatpants, sleeves pushed up, moving with quiet efficiency as he cracked eggs into a bowl.
The city outside was awake, sunlight spilling through the wide windows, calm and deceptively normal.
He glanced once toward the hallway.
The bathroom door was closed. He could hear the faint sound of running water.
Evelyn was in his house and that fact alone made something warm settle in his chest.
He flipped an omelet carefully, resisting the urge to smile like an idiot, when the doorbell rang.
Alexander froze.
The doorbell rang once, twice.
He stared at the door as if it might explain itself.
Then it rang again and his brows knitted. It was still very early for anyone to visit.
He wiped his hands on a towel and walked toward the door, unease creeping in because only three people always showed up in his apartment unannounced.
He opened it.
