The next morning, Natalie woke up feeling refreshed. She yanked the curtains open and checked the weather. The rain was still falling outside, though it had lightened a lot. She dressed quickly, tidied herself up, and took Lucky out of the room. Cassian was already awake and busy in the kitchen. Natalie was in a good mood. She ran over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Cassian smiled, just about to turn around to face her. Natalie told him, "I'm going upstairs to invite Harold and Ghania over for dinner tonight." With that, she marched off before he could reply. Cassian tugged his mouth helplessly. This girl was so bold when she wanted to flirt with him, but when things got serious, she always ran away. By the time Natalie returned from the 15th floor, Cassian had already finished cooking breakfast. The table was set with cheesy corn, ham and shredded meat sandwiches, omelets, grits, and a glass of milk. The portions were small, but there were so many different dishes they covered half the table. Natalie sat down excitedly, muttering, "If this keeps up, you're going to make me fat." Cassian's eyes lit up with a smile. "A little extra weight looks good on you. It means you live comfortably." Natalie rolled her eyes at him.In times like these—when the world was falling apart and everyone was thin as bones—being the only chubby one left would be terrifying. She had no interest in standing out that way. Natalie took a spoonful of the omelette and praised with delight, "So soft!" Then she added, "You don't have to cook so many different things. It's just the two of us. Simple meals are fine." Cassian raised his brow. "This isn't simple?" He knew food was scarce in the apocalypse. Cassian had already been holding back. Back in the old days, he would have never let Natalie live like this, counting every bite. Natalie sighed at his remarks. "Rich people like you really do live differently from us regular folks." Cassian frowned slightly. "Stop talking nonsense." He was about to say more when his eyes landed on the emerald necklace around her neck—the one he had given her. Grinning, he praised, "Looks good on you." The stone was flawless and delicate, making her skin look smoother and her complexion brighter. Natalie blinked, not realizing what he was talking about. "What looks good on me?" Following his gaze, she looked down and finally understood. With a smug little smile, she agreed, "Well, a necklace of this quality barely matches me." Since Cassian was staying here, she hadn't rushed to feed the necklace to the storage space.Besides, this was an eighty-million-dollar piece. If she put it in the storage space, it would disappear from the world completely. So, for now, she decided to wear it and enjoy it. Cassian smiled faintly. "You're right. It barely matches with Nattie." Natalie usually had a thick skin, but the way he said it sounded like he was spoiling a little girl. It made her feel a little shy. He used to only call her nickname when he was caught up in the moment. So now, hearing it out of nowhere made Natalie's skin prickle with goosebumps. She ducked her head and sipped her milk. "Don't keep calling me Nattie. It's way too cheesy." Cassian studied her. "Then what should I call you?" "Anything." Cassian teased, "Medusa?" Natalie fell silent. He teased, "Sweetheart?" Still no word from Natalie. With no words left, she muttered, "Just call me Nat like everyone else." Cassian raised an eyebrow. "If everyone else calls you that, then I won't." Natalie's mouth twitched. "Forget it. Call me whatever you want." He answered smoothly. "Alright, Nattie." Once again, Natalie was left speechless. After dinner, the two of them settled on the couch like usual to watch TV. Cassian suddenly swept his arm around her and pulled her into his lap.Natalie jumped. "What are you doing?" "Exercising my rights." Natalie shot a glance at him. "What rights?" He kissed her cheek. "Boyfriend rights." Natalie's face burned. Why does he have to be so clingy? Natalie shifted uncomfortably in his arms, but Cassian's eyes darkened like he was stirred up. "Nattie, don't move," he warned softly. She felt his breath heavy against her skin and froze. She didn't dare to move again. Curling up obediently in his embrace, she muttered, "It's blazing hot outside. Don't you find this hot?" Cassian's voice dropped lower. "Just watch the TV. If you don't want to, we can nap instead." He paused, then added with a grin, "Together." Natalie pinched his arm. "Can you act normal for once?" He chuckled and rubbed her head. They stayed tangled up on the couch and watched three movies back-to-back. Lucky didn't mind that Cassian had taken her usual spot. Instead, she curled up sweetly on Natalie's other side, like a little guardian. Outside, the rain pounded harder, but inside the house it was warm and peaceful. As the sky darkened, they moved to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Natalie had purposely placed two big freezers at home. She stuffed both full of meat.Tonight was perfect for a barbecue. At least Cassian could take a break instead of cooking a full spread like he usually did. Barbecue was easy—just marinate the meat, set out the dipping sauces, and the grill would do the rest.