If only I could just reach a few inches to the side...
I flushed and shoved the thoughts away. Putting a move on my long-gone best friend was out of the question. Just because I missed him desperately didn't mean my old crush should be dusted off and reignited like gasoline thrown on a flame.
We were alwaysfriends. Just that. Nothing more.
After arranging the sheets as best I could given the situation, I moved on to the pillow, which was thankfully a less flustering task. Finally, I placed the blanket at the foot of the couch so Jian could grab it with ease.
"I didn't know how heavy of a blanket you wanted, so I hope this one's okay," I said. "I know it's cold outside, so I have more in the closet."
"This thinner one's just fine," Jian said. "You know I'm generally hot."
"Yeah, you are."
The embarrassed blush crept over my cheeks and ears. It hit me a second too late that he meant his body temperature, not his sex appeal.
Fuck. Oh my god I'm dumb as hell.
Jian smiled at me. I couldn't tell if he noticed my idiotic slip-up, or if he was giving me the benefit of the doubt that I understood what he actually meant.
"A-anyway, you should be all set," I blurted out. "I can give you a spare toothbrush, and feel free to use anything at all in the cupboards and stuff, okay? Make yourself at home."
"I will. Thanks, Kola."
I loved when he called me that. His special name, just for me. The one nobody else was allowed to say.
"I know it's late, but I'm not quite tired yet," Jian said, tilting his head. "Why don't we watch something together?"
My heart pitter-pattered.
"Unless you're tired, of course," Jian went on. "I know it's been a rough night for you, so I understand if—"
"No, I'm good!"
To prove it, I flopped down on the floor and grabbed the remote to turn Netflix on.
Jian chuckled. "If you say so."
"Hey, when my best friend comes back from...wherever he was to have a sleepover in the first time in ten years, I'm sure as hell not going to bed early."
Jian smiled, but there was a flicker of sadness behind it. It made me wish I hadn't brought up his disappearance again. There was obviously more to it than I realized.
Why wouldn't he just tell me? As kids, we never hid things from each other. Jian was the only person in the world I could be one-hundred percent with.
Well, except the fact that I had a massive crush on him back then, and I still did. But that was only one tiny detail.
Had I done something to make Jian think he couldn't trust me? Part of me wanted to ask, but I didn't want to ruin this moment.
I tried not to think about it anymore, flicking through the reel of shows instead. "So, what're you in the mood for?"
Jian grinned. He was back to normal, that momentary flicker of sadness gone. "Well, it's a cool autumn evening. How about a horror movie?"
I groaned. "That's right. You were always trying to get me to have nightmares."
He chuckled. "Do they scare you that much?"
"A little," I mumbled.
"What do you prefer?" He raised an amused brow as he examined my Recently Watched section. "RomComs?"
