I popped my head into my room and told Shiloh I just needed to tell Jae I was going to sleep in here. She didn’t respond, so I assumed she had fallen asleep. I rushed downstairs to find Jae scrolling through his phone.
“Hey.” I paused to take a breath. “Shiloh wants me to stay up in my room with her. Do you mind?”
I couldn’t help the small smile on my face as he looked up, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“Of course not, that means I can sleep in the guest room instead of here on the floor,” he smirked. “See y’all in the morning. Don’t forget to brush your teeth first.”
I punched him in the side as he walked past me smugly. “Dip.”
I turned off the TV and the lights downstairs, then raced upstairs to brush my teeth. I adjusted my pajamas and hair in the bathroom, and I rolled my eyes at myself before sighing and crossing the hall to my room. I left the door cracked and used muscle memory to make my way to the opposite side of my bed in the dark. I lifted the comforter and slipped in, laying on my side, facing Shiloh.
I could feel that her body was still trembling and held my breath, scared to reach out and comfort her.
Just freaking do it. She asked you to be here.
Three.
Two.
One.
My eyes had adjusted enough in the dark to make out her shape and I gently stroked her slightly damp hair. She sniffled a few times and I wondered if her body was shaking from crying.
“Shy…” I whispered.
I listened to her breathing, trying to discern if she was really crying or not. She muttered a ‘fuck’ under her breath and rolled over, facing the ceiling.
“What can I do?” I asked gently, staring at the side of her face. “If you want me to go, I can. But you don’t need to worry about anything, you know, like, happening between us. My dad’s a cop, he’s got bionic hearing and Spidey senses, so you don’t have to be scared that we’re sharing a bed. And I know you have a boyfriend.”
She confirmed my suspicions that she was crying when she reached up and wiped her eyes, then her nose with the sleeve of my shirt she was wearing.
She let out a rattled sigh, cursing several more times, and closed her eyes.
“He’s not my fucking boyfriend. Can I just have a goddamn hug?”
I blinked, startled by her voice in the silence and all the force behind her statement.Maybe they broke up tonight, and maybe she does genuinely have a migraine.
“Of course. You don’t gotta ask. If you couldn’t tell, I’m definitely a hugger. It’s my love language.”Fuck, why did I say that.“I mean, not that I’m saying I love you. I mean I care about you. You know…as a friend and everything. Just, never mind.Yes. You can most definitely have a hug. Anytime.”
Oh my God, Nox. You’re a freaking idiot!
Shiloh rolled onto her side to face me, staring into my eyes like she was searching for something. I tucked her hair behind her ear, my thumb lingering on her cheek that was warm. Even in the darkness I could see that her eyes were beginning to get puffy and swollen.
“Do you want some ice for your eyes?” I asked as I pulled my hand away.
“Just hold me,” she pleaded, her voice cracking.
I scooted closer, and wrapped my arm around her waist, gently pushing her hips to roll her to face the other direction. Shiloh was stiff, maybe unsure of what I was doing. I slid my arm beneath her pillow, resting my head behind hers and tugged her waist until her back touched my chest. She shuddered underneath the weight of my arm, and I let out a sigh, breathing in the familiar scent of my soap in her hair.
I let out a soft chuckle into her hair, wrinkling my nose as it tickled me. She must just like manly scents because my sister has girly stuff in the shower that she could have used, but she used mine.
She took several deep breaths, her body melting against mine with each one, her trembling limbs becoming still. I tried to relax my body too. This was a first for me, and I hoped she couldn’t feel my heart pounding against my chest rapidly.
I’d never felt so warm and fuzzy in my entire life. So at home. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, that someone I’d known for such a short time could have this effect on me.
Shiloh, what the hell are you doing to me?
???
