“Hazel, would you think it’s the most boring thing in the world if we all watched a movie together?” Reid’s mom looked at me expectantly from where she sat on the sofa, curled up next to her husband, with a blanket across their laps.
“We can just go to bed,” Reid added from the oversized armchair.
I smiled, taking it all in. “I’d love to watch a movie.”
Regan pulled a pillow from the couch and dropped it on the floor, laying down and nestling into it. They’d turned on the electric fireplace, and flames danced around.
Reid shifted over on the chair and patted it. “There’s enough room here.”
It took everything in me to force the blush from spreading to my cheeks as I sat next to him. There washardlyroom. Our entire thighs and hips pressed tightly against each other.
“Is this okay?” he whispered. “I can sit on the floor.”
“It’s fine.” ‘More than fine’ would have been the appropriate answer. I leaned back into the chair so that our shoulders pressed together, too. He lifted the arm that was between us and rested it along the back of the chair. The movement made my head kind of naturally settle into the crook of his arm, and I didn’t fight it.
His mom put on an old John Hughes movie. When I said this was one of my gran’s and my favorites, Reid squeezed me tightly.
We made it about halfway through the movie, and to my delight, I learned that Reid’s family loved talking through movies almost as much as I did. Well, his momandRegan did. Reid and his dad kept trying to shush them. But once I joined in, quoting lines and pointing out the outrageously good outfits I wished I could still buy today, they finally gave up and let the commentary roll.
Thiswas what feeling at home was like.
It had been a minute.
“Your bedroom is in the basement?”I asked, eyebrows raised. Reid hovered behind me in the doorway. The rest of the family had already said their goodnights and headed upstairs.
“Once Regan and Ruby were too old to want to share a room, our parents finished the basement so I could move down here. As a teenager, I wasn’t about to complain. It was like having my own apartment.”
We made our way down the carpeted stairs, and at thebottom, I found a surprisingly cozy basement. Not a hint of dampness in the air, just a comforting, lived-in sensation. There was wall-to-wall beige carpet against blue walls and a worn leather sofa that sagged in one corner, facing an ancient TV that looked like it had been there forever.
“There used to be another bed down here. West stayed with us our senior year when his parents moved away.”
He led me to a door off the main room. Inside was a small bedroom, just big enough for a full-size mattress, two end tables, and not much else. There was a dog-eared book sitting on one of the end tables. I picked it up.IT Architecture for Dummies.
“You spend a lot of nights here?” I asked.
“Not really. Other than holidays, there’s no need to since we all live so close.”
“It seemed like your mom was really excited to have you under the same roof.”
He chuckled. “I guarantee my mom will make a ridiculous breakfast spread in the morning. Sorry in advance.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. I love your family.”
His smile spread before he dropped his chin and rubbed the back of his neck. “The bathroom is just through there. My mom has spare toothbrushes in the drawer. Oh, and here.” He handed me a small towel, rolled into a neat spiral.
Our fingers brushed as I took it. Sparks.
I ducked my head and rushed into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth with the new toothbrush before evaluating myself in the mirror. My bangs lay flat against my forehead. I tried to fluff them out, even though the basement was dark and Reid was already quite familiar with how I looked.
My heart pounded thinking of the one bed just beyond that door. One bed, and just one tiny full-sized mattress.
Would we both be sleeping there? He hadn’t said as much, but he also hadn’t said anything against it. Frankly, there was nothing I wanted more than to curl up next to Reid all night. It would be the ideal ending to an already perfect evening.
When I stepped back into the room, Reid had changed into old sweats with a hole in the thigh and a threadbare t-shirt. He nodded at me. “You can have the bed. I’ll take the loveseat.”
My heart dropped a little. “No way. You’re too tall. I’ll take the couch.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not letting you sleep on the couch.”
