She climbs into her bed, and I take off my shoes, pushing them aside. I take my shirt off and catch her gazing at my chest, her cheeks flush when she catches me staring. She quickly looks away, biting her bottom lip. I keep my pants on, so she doesn’t think I came over for one thing. I slide into bed with her, and our shoulders brush together. “You need a bigger bed.”
“For what? It’s only me.”
“For times like this.”
She huffs. “I didn’t think this would happen.”
“I’ll always be by your side to wipe your tears.” This brings back old memories. Memories that I can’t ever erase—and I don’t want to. I’ve always missed sleeping next to her and waking up together. I loved it when we first moved in together. Life seemed so simple back then. Little did we know how hard it was going to get.
She smiles and rests her head down on her pillow, facing the ceiling.
“What time do you have to drop Amari off at school?” I ask.
“Eight. What time do you have to go to work?”
“After I drop Amari off with you.”
She shuffles her body to the side, staring back at me. “How are you going to do that?”
“I’ll tell the guys to come in later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. That’s the beauty of having your own company. I make the rules.”
“But I know the contractors have you on a schedule sometimes.”
“It’ll be fine. My family comes first.”
She nestles her head deeper into her pillow with a smile. “Thanks for coming, Kai.”
I stare at her until sleep takes over.
I didn’t think about what would happen in the morning after I slept over.
“I feel like your mom is going to get mad at us—like I snuck into your house or something.”
B chuckles. “Oh, my God, Kai. We’re adults now. We’ll be fine.” She finishes getting ready. “Head downstairs while I get Amari ready, that way she thinks you came over this morning.”
“Okay.” That’s a good idea. Maybe Brooke will think the same thing. I slide on my shoes and tiptoe down the stairs, hoping I don’t step on a spot that creaks. I let out a sigh the moment my foot hits the last step. As I’m rounding the corner to walk into the kitchen, Brooke is right in front of me with her mouth agape and brows raised.
I clear my throat. “Good morning.” She turns around, and I follow her into the kitchen. My heart races as I wait for her to yell at me—like I’m a kid about to get in trouble.
“Coffee?” she asks.
“Yes. Thanks.” I anxiously take a seat, waiting to see if she says anything. Luckily, B steps into the kitchen before her mom can question me. “Where’s Amari?”
“Brushing her teeth. She was already dressed for school when I went in to wake her.” B looks over at her mom. “Good morning, Mom.”
“Good morning.”
She walks over and pours herself a cup of coffee as Brooke hands me mine.
“So, is anyone going to tell me what’s going on before Amari gets down here?” Brooke asks, staring between the two of us.
B looks over at her mom. “I was sad last night about Amari going to school, Kai came over to talk to me, and we fell asleep.”
Brooke looks between the two of us again, like there’s more to the story, but she says nothing.
