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Maybe it was the whiskey warming her veins, or maybe it was just the strange comfort of old familiarity, as they reached the intersection before his house, she glanced at him, half-curious, half-teasing. "So... are you married now, Professor Julian Marlowe?" she asked, and let out a soft little laugh — a low, almost mischievous jiggle in her voice. "Or The greatest author of all time?"

Julian stopped for a second — like she’d caught him completely off guard. Then that familiar, reluctant grin tugged at his mouth, shaking his head.

"Married?" He let out a short laugh — low and rough, like he didn’t quite know whether to be flattered or horrified. "Any wife of mine would’ve left ages ago... or at the very least, be furiously jealous knowing I spend most of my days locked away with a younger, prettier woman, arguing about fictional murders over bad coffee."

Anna couldn't help but grin at that — sharp and knowing.

"You make it sound like a crime scene," she said lightly and jiggled.

Julian cast her a sideways look, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile, "Isn't it? You showed up in my life again, looking like that, saying things like this — it's dangerously charming, you know."

They reached his front door without even realizing how far they'd wandered. The old stone townhouse sat tucked away on a quiet street, ivy curling up the sides like it had been waiting for them too. Julian pulled out his keys, but neither of them wanted to end the conversation just yet.

Anna leaned against the wall by his door, arms loosely crossed, watching him with a look that was somewhere between curious and amused. "So... no wife. No family. Just puzzles, mysteries, and physics, huh?"

Julian gave a soft, almost self-mocking smile as he turned the key. "Puzzles, crimes, mysteries, ... and now apparently a stubborn lady who keeps following me home."

Anna grinned, without even trying to hide it. "Lucky you."

He pushed the door open and stepped aside, casting her a sideways look. "Well, since you’ve already followed me all the way here... fancy coming in for a nightcap before you head home?"