That last part wasn’t true. I didn’t want to run my hands all over him. That was crazy. Crazyhot, but crazy nonetheless.
I. Had. A. Boyfriend.
Was it bad I had to keep reminding myself of that every time Slate popped up in my mind—and in my life? People could be attracted to more than one person at a time. That was natural. I’d just never been around someone I found so incredibly…delicious.
I covered my face with my hands, another small groan escaping me. Had I just used the word delicious to describe a man? What was going on with me?
Turning onto my side, I pulled the covers all the way up to my chin and closed my eyes. I really needed to stop thinking about Slate and get to sleep. I had to be up in a few hours to get ready for my first class.
But instead of sleep taking over, my mind kept replaying my conversation with Slate about relationships.
Why was he so against relationships? He said he hadn’t been hurt by a girl and had never been in love, so why was he so adamant about remaining single?
I agreed that relationships could be hard and messy at times, but when you found someone who made your life better with them than it had been without them, the good times outweighed the bad times.
But what did I know? I’d only ever been in one relationship and had never had my heart broken. I just couldn’t fathom not wanting to find the kind of happiness that could come from being in a loving relationship.
That last thought made me stop. Slate had asked if Josh and I were one of those blissfully happy couples. I’d told him what I thought to be the truth, but now as I lay in my bed, I was feeling naïve about my answer.
Blissfully happy couples couldn’t wait to be together, counting down the seconds until they could see each other again. They were happiest when together, never wanting to be apart. They were always there for each other, not ghosting when their partner texted them. They put their partner’s needs and wants above their own. They were thoughtful and sweet. They only had eyes for one another, and they had amazing sex.
Or at least that was what I’d read in romance books.
Had Josh and I ever been like that?
The answer was no.
Maybe I didn’t know as much about love as I thought.
Josh and I had been together since we were seventeen. I felt like we loved each other. I’d moved here just so we could be closer. That had to mean something, right? He wouldn’t have asked me to move here if he didn’t love me, and I wouldn’t have uprooted my life to be here if I didn’t love him.
Love could look different than those blissfully happy couples, and that was okay. Every relationship was different.
Taking a big breath, I snuggled down deeper into my covers. Josh and I had a different kind of relationship, and there was nothing wrong with that. Sure, the idea of having one of those blissfully happy relationships sounded enticing, but Josh and I were more practical, more realistic. We didn’t need all the fluff, and we had lives outside of each other. Things were good. Everything was going to be fine. I didn’t need the feeling of butterflies in my stomach, the craving for his touch, the romantic gestures. All I needed was comfort and consistency, and that’s what I had with Josh.
* * *
Somehow, I made it to my class with three minutes to spare. I’d pressed the snooze button one too many times and hadn’t had time to grab a coffee on the way. I’d had a short, restless night of sleep, and it would be a miracle if I made it through class without falling asleep.
A warm, large body sat in the seat next me, startling me.
Slate’s perfect face and impeccable smile greeted me.
“Hey,” he said, holding two cups of coffee and handing one of them to me. “Figured you’d probably need this after our late night.”
Taking the coffee from his hand, I was caught off-guard by the kind gesture, and I almost teared up because my body was so happy at the promise of caffeine.
“That was really thoughtful. Thank you.”
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I kept it simple with just some cream and sugar,” he said.
Taking a sip, I let out a small moan. “It’s perfect. Again, thank you. I didn’t have time to get some before class.”
As I watched him get out his laptop, I realized he didn’t look tired at all. “How are you not exhausted?”
He took a sip of his coffee before answering. “I usually feel pretty good after a workout.”
My eyebrows lifted high. “You already worked out this morning?”
