“Sheldon?” I asked softly, stepping toward him.
He glanced over his shoulder, the light above the door revealing dark circles under his eyes. “Were you asleep?”
“No. You look awful.”
“Thanks. My ego needed that boost.”
“Come inside.” I moved out of the way so he could enter first. I closed and locked the door behind us. “What happened? Hart would have told me if you were hurt.”
A tiny smile lifted one side of his lips. “I wasn’t, just tired. We’ve been going nonstop. Jordan finally got the issue resolved. Now we’re on a two-day break to rest.”
“And you came here instead of crawling into bed and sleeping?” That had to mean something, right? Why would he visit me when he had a perfectly good place to rest at home?
“You’re aware I don’t sleep well.”
“But you do sleep. That’s what you need.”
He swayed on his feet. His eyelids drooped.
I was at his side in an instant, my arm wrapping around his waist. “Come on. I’m putting you to bed.”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean. My filter is non-existent at the moment.” He typically didn’t have one, except in my presence. I’d noticed even if he didn’t mean for me to.
“I can take the couch,” I told him as I walked with him into my bedroom.
There were clothes haphazardly thrown into the hamper in the corner. The sheets and comforter were askew on the bed. One pillow was on the floor. Fuck, it was a mess in here.
Sheldon eyed my bed before sitting on it. “It’s big enough for two. I don’t want you to sleep anywhere else.” A yawn stretched his lips as he kicked his shoes off, then fell backward. Luckily, he was already in shorts and a T-shirt, so at least he’d be comfortable. “Please.”
I should have been able to tell him the couch was fine. There was no resisting the pull to him. I was in way over my head, with no idea what the hell I was doing. I still crawled into bed beside him after I shut the TV off in the living room, set the alarm at the door, and turned out the lights.
Sheldon burrowed into the remaining pillow on the bed. I had grabbed the other from the floor and lay on my back, my eyes on the ceiling fan as it spun overhead.
“Forest?” he asked sleepily.
“Yeah?”
“What would you say if I told you I wanted to be more than your friend?”
My head snapped to the side so I could latch my gaze on his. For being as tired as he was, his eyes were open, watching me. I couldn’t see more than that due to the darkness in the room. “You… you want to be more?”
“If I’ve read you wrong, let me know. I can’t keep going back and forth, wondering if you want me or not. I’m so fucking torn up. Half the time, I pace the halls to keep from coming over here. It used to be because my mind wouldn’t settle. Then you arrived in Dremest and everything changed.”
“I… I…” How did I respond to that?
This was what I wanted, wasn’t it? To finally have this moment with Sheldon? Did it scare me? Absolutely. I had no clue what I was doing. I couldn’t get words out. There was so much going on inside me, I was in overload.
“Hey,” he whispered. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.” He was about to roll over when I turned toward him and reached for his arm, keeping him in place so we were face-to-face.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m trying to figure out how,” I responded honestly.
“Take your time. I’m in no rush.”
“You need sleep.”
“I’m suddenly very awake yet relaxed. Your bed is comfortable. It smells like you.” He nuzzled the pillow, not apologizing for how it looked. Some might think it was a step too far. I found it incredibly attractive. He liked my scent.
“I’m nervous around you,” I confessed, my eyes closing. The words came more easily if I couldn’t see him. “I’ve never been with a man before, and I’m not sure what to do. I mean, I know it’s the same in some ways. I just talk to you like I would anyoneelse, but you’re different in a good way. You make me feel like I’m sixteen again, not sure how to talk to my crush.”
