Chapter 2

In that split-second of silence, his voice—his real voice, not from the phone—rang crystal clear in her ears. But his lips on the screen didn't move an inch.

[Damn it, I totally freaked her out. Should've kept my mouth shut.]

[No way can Daisy-boo figure out I'm connected to her cuddle buddy.]

[If she does, she'll ditch me—I mean, the doll—for good. That's not cool!]

Daisy's jaw dropped, her mind reeling like she'd been hit by a lightning bolt.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she could barely breathe.

Connected? She could hear his thoughts?! When she squeezed the doll, he felt it?

Her brain was about to fry from the sheer craziness of it all.

On the screen, Zachary cleared his throat, his tone cautious, almost… pleading? "That, uh, cuddle buddy of yours… it's got a real cute vibe. Pretty unique."

Daisy glanced down at the slightly squished Mr. Whiskes in her hands, then back at Zachary's weirdly intense expression. A wild guess started to take shape in her mind.

"But," he went on, his voice tight, "you might wanna go easy on it when you sleep. All that… squeezing and kicking? It could get messed up." His voice wobbled on "kicking," like it physically hurt to say.

Daisy's face burned. She hadn't just squeezed it—she'd launched it across the room.

His earlier thought echoed in her head: Straight to the face. She bit her lip, torn between embarrassment and the urge to giggle.

Staring at Mr. Whiskers' innocent face, she felt a weird pang of guilt for a stuffed toy. Her fingers softened, gently petting its head like she was apologizing.

Right then, Zachary's face on the screen turned pink, the flush spreading from his cheeks to his ears. His usual icy stare melted into something warmer, almost blissful.

Daisy's heart did a little flip. Was this actually happening?

It was like stumbling onto a hidden treasure—or maybe a cursed box of chaos. A thrilling, electric buzz shot through her.

Holding her breath, she decided to test it. Her fingers slid slowly down Mr. Whiskers' round back, inch by inch, to its stubby little tail. With a mischievous grin, she gave the tail a playful tug.

On the screen, Zachary sucked in a sharp breath, his body going stiff. A faint vein twitched at his temple, and his eyes darkened.

He quickly looked away, clearing his throat. "Uh, yeah, sorry, a mosquito got in. Bit me. Forgot to close the window."

A mosquito? Daisy raised an eyebrow. At 2 a.m., a mosquito just decided to bite him the second she tugged the tail? Sure thing, pal.

She was about to toss out a teasing jab when his inner voice burst into her head like a fireworks finale.

[Holy crap, Daisy-boo just touched my tail! I mean, the doll's tail!]

[Does she know something? Nah, no way… right?]

[Man, that felt… amazing. I could get used to her petting me like that.]

[Her hands are so soft.]

The thoughts hit like a tidal wave, leaving her dizzy and her cheeks burning.

Cool? Untouchable? Mr. Keeps-Everyone-at-Arm's-Length?

Yeah, right. Under that frosty vibe was a total softie, a big ol' puppy craving a good pet—and maybe a little flirty on the side!

Talk about a game-changer.

Daisy fought back a grin that was practically begging to take over her face, keeping her cool on the surface.

She cleared her throat, eyeing Zachary on the video call—his eyes dodging hers, ears red enough to glow in the dark.

Dropping her voice to a teasing, almost baby-talk lilt, she said, "Oh, yeah? Better keep that window locked, then, huh?"