“Sure,” I say, trying not to sound annoyed even though the quiet suddenly feels heavier.
I watch her walk back to her room, the robe swaying behind her.
Closing the front door, I lock it and head to the loveseat.
I lie back down. The fireplace crackles across the room, the only heat source left in this house.
I glance toward the hallway.
Sutton’s door is slightly cracked.
Like another invitation.
My lips part. Remembering how she tastes.
After a long minute of overthinking, I push myself up and pull my hoodie tight.
“Alright,” I mutter.
My feet carry me down the hallway before my brain even decides. I stop at her door. My knuckles hover, then I knock.
A wave of peppermint curls around me when she opens the door. She smells warm. Sweet. Cozy. Christmas wrapped in human form.
“Hi,” Sutton whispers. “Everything okay?”
“I saw your door was open.”
She blinks. “Oh. I must have forgotten to close it.” She pulls out an earbud. “Do you need something? Was I too loud?”
Her brown eyes are glazed with sleep… and something softer.
“Nah,” I say, rubbing my neck. “I could not sleep. I was in the living room just… chilling.”
She laughs softly. “Oh, you are better than me. I could never sleep on that hard ass couch.” She glances back at her room. “I got some extra blankets if you?—”
“You do not mind sleeping with a stranger?” I interrupt, teasing.
Her face does something sharp. “A stranger is someone whose name I do not know or where they lay their head. You… I know both.” She tilts her chin. “I am not asking you to sleep in here. I am asking if you need blankets.”
My chest tightens.
“What happened earlier?” I ask quietly. “Did I do something wrong?”
She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.”
“Then who is Wifey?”
I narrow my eyes. “How do you know?—”
“I saw the text messages on your phone.” She shrugs, unbothered. “I do not fuck with cheaters.”
“Neither do I.” My voice comes out harsher than I mean for it to. “No, I do not have a girlfriend. Keke is my newly ex-girlfriend.”
Sutton folds her arms. “How serious were y’all?”
“Apparently not serious enough for her not to cheat.”
