I'm salivating. Literally salivating. I should not be allowed to see this.
"What's so shocking about it?" He shrugs, circling the bed like this is the most casual thing ever. "I sleep here all the time." He flops onto his usual side, settling in with zero shame.
I clear my throat, but it's useless. My voice still comes out shaky. "Okaaaay... but why are you half naked?"
He yawns, grabs the duvet. "Because my body's still running on pure adrenaline from the game. I'm overheating. If I sleep in clothes, I'll feel like I'm combusting. This way, I don't burn alive." He slides under the covers, pulling them over himself.
Great. Fantastic. He won't burn up. Meanwhile, I'm about to spontaneously combust.
I freeze in place, still sitting there like a malfunctioning robot. Then he grabs my wrist and tugs me down beside him. "Time to sleep, Sugarplum."
Sleep?With my half-naked best friend lying two inches away, smelling like sweat, cologne, and pure temptation? Yeah, right. My heart is doing parkour and my brain is screaming expletives.
I roll to my side, back facing him, trying to think of gross things to distract myself. Rotten eggs. Moldy cheese. Tyler's smug face. Nothing works. My heart is still sprinting.
The room falls quiet, except for Taylor faintly humming from my speakers. I assume he's drifted off when suddenly he speaks.
"I'm sorry," he says softly.
My eyes snap shut.Nope. Not this. Not now.
"I'm sorry you had to hear it from Cici... about the hot tub."
The words slam into me. My stomach sinks. I don't answer. Can't. My throat locks up.
"...I know you don't wanna hear it, but I can't sleep without setting the story straight."
My brows pinch.
"It's true I was in the hot tub. But not the way she made it sound." His voice is low, careful. "I was there first. Alone. Drunk. Totally out of it. I'd downed way too much because I was still wrecked over us losing nationals to Easton. I just... couldn't deal."
He pauses, running a hand over his face before continuing.
"So I sat there, wasted, half-asleep. Next thing I knew, I woke up to someone's hand on me. I opened my eyes, thought it was someone else, and then she kissed me. But the second I realized it was Cici, I pushed her away. Got out of there. That's it. Nothing more."
I suck in a sharp breath, my chest tight. Relief trickles in, warm and dizzying, but I don't move. Don't let myself.
He exhales. "I never liked her, Caroline. You know that. Especially with how she treats you. Hooking up with her? That'd feel like betraying you."
God. My heart actually squeezes.
"So... why did you lie?" I whisper, finally turning—only to jolt when my eyes meet his.
He's already watching me. His expression serious, stripped of all the teasing.
He shrugs faintly, shoulders shifting under the covers. "Maybe I thought denying it made it... not real. Or maybe I just didn't want to hurt you. Even if nothing happened, I didn't want it between us."
I drop my gaze, nodding slowly. My throat's too tight to say much more.
Then his hand finds my chin, tilting it up. His silver eyes lock on mine, so sincere it makes my chest ache. "You believe me, right?"
I search his gaze, and before I know it, a small smile slips through. "Yeah. I believe you."
"Good." He grins, tugging me against him, strong arms wrapping around me. My face presses into his chest as he kisses the top of my head. "Now let's go to sleep."
And for the first time tonight, I actually can.
Smiling.
