Hanna sighed. “It’s just one of those days.”
His hands retreated immediately.
“Sorry—”
“Nope, we don’t apologize for that shit.” Milo slipped out of bed and pulled on his jeans from the night before.
“Where are you going?”
He shrugged, searching for his keys. “You need a bagel and to stay in bed.”
“I’m fi?—”
“Banned word.” Milo pulled back the curtains. “Look, even the Bay thinks it’s a down day.” The sky drizzled gray over Brannan Street, blanketing it in a foggy haze that felt completely appropriate for the storm developing in her chest. “I’ll be back in twenty.” He dove back onto the bed, shoving his hands over the blanket to tuck it around her as she giggled.
When he returned with coffee, bagels, and a bouquet of sunflowers, her heart felt less like an anchor and more like a balloon, bobbing happily along between electric lines and branches, as if she’d be able to dodge them indefinitely.
“What are you reading now?”
Milo flopped onto the couch next to her. He’d been on calls all day, and she’d been avoiding hers with the second installment in the series Sara got her hooked on. She held the cover up so he could see the title.
“Enemies to lovers? Age gap? Shadow daddy? Why choose?”
Hanna held her place with her index finger as she twisted to face him.
“Who taught you these words?”
Milo grinned. “Girl I used to hang out with read a book a day. Loved acting scenes out.”
She tried not to let the pang of jealousy show on her face, but she worried it pinged so loudly off her chest that he heard it. Just friends, she reminded herself.
“It’s none of the above, actually,” she said. “It’s a cozy fantasy—more steam, less spice.”
Milo’s head tilted, a wickedness flashing across his face.
“Getting your other needs met, then?”
She looked up from the page, glaring. “I’m at a really good part.”
Milo backed away, holding his hands up in surrender. He hopped off the couch and crossed the living room to a stack of books she'd borrowed from Sara when they'd moved her stuff over. She tried not to watch as he scanned the spines, but the concentration on his face was hard to ignore. He plucked one from the middle of the stack.
She battled a smile as he reclaimed the spot beside her, laying his head in her lap and cracking open the first book in the series. His eyes flicked from the page to hers.
“So, just to set my expectations correctly, no knotting in this one?”
Hanna giggled. “Not so far. There are two other books, though.”
“Here’s to hoping,” he murmured.
She turned her focus back to her book, the weight of him an anchor as she let the sweet romance sweep her heart away. She rested one hand on his chest, absently fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. Her mind wandered back to two years ago, nestled next to Logan on the couch, when she’d crawled her hand over his thigh to reach for his. She’d just missed him as he moved to answer an email from work.
Milo shifted under her touch. She pulled her hand back, realizing that it wasn’t very just friends of her. He caught her fingers and pressed the back of her hand to his lips before returning it to his chest.
They both stilled.
“Jesus,” he said as he waved the book in the air. “These really are a bad influence, you know that? No wonder they try to ban them.” He set the book on the coffee table and reached for his phone, reading through the notifications. “Ah, shit, I gotta deal with something.”
“Family okay?” she asked, her heart still beating too quickly.
