He walks in and sits on the edge of the mattress, causing the air to shift under his weight.
“Tanner, what are you?—”
“Would you relax? I’m just checking your temperature.” He places the back of his hand to my forehead. “You don’t feel warm, but you look like you feel terrible. Can I get you anything?”
“Of course I don’t feel warm. It’s just my period,” I say without thinking. My cheeks heat as soon as the words leave my mouth. “Sorry if that was TMI.”
He laughs. “I don’t care. Why don’t I make you some food and then we can hang out the rest of the day?”
“I’m not very hungry, but coffee sounds good, and I think there are a couple more Almond Joys in the pantry.”
“It’s three o’clock in the afternoon. You sure you just want coffee and chocolate”
“Don’t judge my decisions,” I scold.
“Coffee and chocolate it is.”
“What about your pickleball game?”
“Oh, they’ll be fine. It was an odd number anyway, so they can play without me,” he smiles.
“I might be a minute,” I say.
“Take all the time you need. I’m gonna go call Logan and make your coffee. Do you have a creamer preference?”
“The recipe from Thursday. It tasted like an Almond Joy.”
“On it,” he says, leaving my room and shutting the door behind him.
Our conversation doesn’t completely register until he’s disappeared. Him cancelling his game to hang with me is completely normal friend behavior? Right? Right. RIGHT?
I throw the blankets off of me, wincing as I crawl out of the bed towards the bathroom. After brushing through my hair and putting on different sweats, I walk back into my room.
“Shit,” I mutter under my breath when I see a little red stain on my sheets. Exhaling, I quickly gather the linens and wad them up in my arms before walking out into the living room. Dolly follows behind me, and I laugh to myself when she runs over and pounces on a little spot of sunlight shining on the floor.
Tanner’s on the phone, so I quietly walk by him, heading to the laundry room to start a wash for my sheets.
“Here’s your coffee, and there was only one Almond Joy left, but I can order more,” he says from the laundry room door a few moments later.
“You don’t have to be so nice to me,” I say, taking the drink and the little candy bar. I pop the chocolate into my mouth.
“Someone’s crabby,” he says, chuckling. “I’m never not going to be nice to you. You’re one of my favorite people.”
“I am?”
His eyes widen. “Yeah, I think you might be becoming my best friend. Just don’t tell Logan or Jacks because they’d be really upset to know they’ve been replaced.” One side of his mouth curves into a lazy grin, and my eyes shift nervously, trying to land on anything but him, but I fail.
Of course he meant best friend. What else would that have meant?
“I’m gonna go get my heating pad, and then maybe we can watch a movie?” I ask.
“Sure. What do you want to watch?”
“The Princess Diaries,” I say, sheepishly. “It’s my comfort movie, and if I had a TV in my room, it’s what I would be watching today.”
“I’ve never seen it, but I’m game,” he says, turning and walking back towards the TV. I follow him through the kitchen and then head to my room to grab my phone, heating pad, and pillow. Dolly runs in behind me, almost knocking me over, and jumps onto the bed trying to reach a small spot of light shining on the wall behind the mattress.
“Dolly, careful,” I snap.
