I nodded, not believing him for a second. “Right. Tired. That’s why you decided to go toe-to-toe with Patrick’s wallet and then drown your sorrows in expensive scotch.”
West’s head swiveled toward me, his eyes narrowing. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m worried about you, you idiot,” I said, softening my words with a small smile. “This isn’t like you, West. What’s really going on?”
He turned away again, staring out the window at the passing streetlights. I could almost see the gears turning in his head, weighing whether to open up or keep his walls firmly in place.
We stopped at a red light, and I studied his profile, illuminated by the harsh glow of a nearby streetlamp. God, he was beautiful, even in this disheveled state. My heart ached with the desire to reach out, to smooth away the furrow in his brow, to pull him close and never let go.
But I couldn’t. Not now, maybe not ever. Whatever this thing was between us, whatever spark of possibility I thought I’d seen in his eyes earlier tonight, it was probably all in my head.
So, instead, I just waited, giving him the space to decide whether he wanted to let me in.
I pulled into my parking spot for our apartment. West stirred, blinking slowly as if coming out of a trance.
“Home sweet home,” I announced, trying to inject some cheer into my voice. “Let’s get you inside, big guy.”
I hurried around to West’s side of the car, opening the door and offering my hand. He stared at it for a moment, his brow furrowed.
“I can walk on my own, Drew,” he grumbled, but his actions betrayed his words as he swayed slightly, gripping the car door for support.
I chuckled. “Sure you can, buddy. But humor me, okay?”
Reluctantly, West allowed me to slip an arm around his waist, leaning into me as we made our way up the path. The warmth of his body pressed against mine sent a shiver down my spine, one I desperately hoped he didn’t notice.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go,” West muttered as we navigated the hallway. “The fundraiser, the auction…none of it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And how was it supposed to go?”
West just shook his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “Doesn’t matter now. It’s all screwed up.”
My heart clenched at the defeat in his voice. This wasn’t the West I knew, the eternal optimist who always saw the silver lining. What had happened tonight to shake him so badly?
“Hey,” I said softly as we reached the front door. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out. That’s what we do, remember?”
West’s eyes met mine, a flicker of something passing through them before he looked away. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “I guess we do.”
Inside our apartment, we went straight to West's bedroom. I eased him onto his bed, kneeling to untie his shoes. He flopped back with a groan, one arm thrown over his eyes.
“You don’t have to do this, Drew,” he mumbled, making no moves to stop me.
“I know,” I replied, setting his shoes aside. “But I want to.”
I grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen and held it out. “Drink this. Doctor’s orders.”
West peeked out from under his arm with a faint smirk. “Since when are you a doctor?”
“Since you decided to get wasted at a charity auction,” I quipped, pressing the glass into his hand. “Come on, bottoms up.”
As West sipped the water, I found myself hovering uncertainly. The responsible thing would be to say goodnight and head to my own room. But something in West’s demeanor—the slump of his shoulders, the furrow in his brow—stopped me from leaving him alone.
“You okay?” I asked softly.
West set the empty glass down, avoiding my gaze. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need to sleep it off.”
He removed his clothes until he was just in his underwear. It was something he’d done in front of me hundreds of times before, but now my eyes wouldn’t move from his perfect chest, the two pink buds that begged for my touch, the trail of dark curly hair that disappeared under his boxers…
“Mind if I crash in here tonight? You know, just in case you need anything.” I knew it would be a sleepless night if he said yes because that was the only way I could trust myself to not gravitate toward him.
