Chapter 9
Brooke was not okay. Somehow her evening had gone from peaceful to her lying in bed next to Drew. If only she had thought to call Emily. Surely Em and Scarlett wouldn’t have minded her sleeping on their couch. Now it was too late. There was no way to make a polite exit. Beside her Drew breathed quietly as she slept. Brooke almost smiled at the sound but she forced herself to notice other things. The tattoos that weaved their way around Drew’s arms. Flowers and vines that somehow tied together seamlessly. She’d never noticed how beautiful Drew’s tattoos were. She’d also never truly appreciated how attractive Drew was. As she lay there Brooke took note of the lines of Drew’s cheekbones, her angular face, the softness of her features. Drew was a knockout, no wonder Robin had been so eager to snatch the woman up. Not that she could blame Robin.
Brooke had given herself a hard time since the night she and Drew kissed. There had been an opening. A moment for something deeper to form between them, but Brooke had shut things down. She had smothered the spark before the flame could grow. It was hard not to feel creepy checking Drew out while she slept. Brooke forced herself to turn onto her side, even though she was an avid back sleeper.
Brooke must have slept because she woke up to the sound of Drew in the kitchen. Their apartments had the same basic layout. The living room was the room you stepped into from the front door, then the kitchen was part of an open concept. The bathroom and bedroom were down a tiny hallway.
Brooke could hear the light morning scufflings of someone preparing for their day. She smiled to herself, there was something strangely intimate about waking up in Drew’s bed. She made her way down the hall and into the kitchen, then froze. Drew stood in her kitchen wearing bright yellow shorts and an oversized black Led Zeppelin t-shirt. The yellow shorts didn’t leave much to Brooke’s imagination, though that didn’t stop her brain from trying.
“Morning,” Drew called out cheerfully.
Too cheerfully. How was she in this good of a mood first thing in the morning? The confusion must have shown on her face because Drew chuckled at her expression.
“I’m sorry. Good morning,” Brooke smiled.
“What was that face for?” Drew asked teasingly.
“I was just wondering how you’re this happy first thing in the morning?”
“Everyday that I wake up I’ve already succeeded at staying alive. So, I start out ahead of the game.”
Brooke gave a low chuckle.
“I guess I’ve never thought about it like that. But I like that way of looking at it.”
“How did you sleep? I hope I didn’t snore,” Drew said.
“No snoring as far as I could tell. I slept well.”
“Good. I hope the landlord can get someone out here to fix your pipe today.”
“Me, too.”
Brooke pulled out her phone. She had tried calling their landlord last night but hadn’t gotten a response. This morning she was relieved to see that she already had a text message from him.
“He sent me a text. He says that someone should be over to look at it this morning.” Brooke couldn’t cover the relief she felt.
“That’s good. Hopefully, it’s an easy fix.”
“I hope so. I’m sure you don’t want to share your space with me one second longer than you have to.”
The words came out as a tease, but even Brooke couldn’t disguise the hidden truth to them.
“What do you mean? It was fine for you to stay here last night,” Drew answered.
“I know, and you were very generous. I just meant with everything else that’s happened between us, it might be awkward for you to have me here.”
Brooke held her breath. She hoped that she hadn’t taken one step too far over an imaginary line of comfort.
“You mean the kiss?” Drew asked. Brooke could swear there was a slight change in Drew’s tone. The deepening hint of a rasp.
“The kiss is definitely part of it. I just mean that I think I’ve made things weird between us. Even though that’s not at all what I wanted.”
“We should bury the hatchet. You’ve seen me in my Led Zeppelin shirt. Surely, we can be friends,” Drew laughed.
“I would like that,” Brooke answered. She met Drew’s eyes and took in all the different shades of warmth inside them.
“You kissed me, and you didn’t like it. No big deal,” Drew said, her tone teasing.
