“Ye-yeah.” I give a slow nod. “Did my brother kick you much?”
He chuckles. “Yeah, I think I had a charley horse—or five. You’d think he’s a soccer player or something.”
“I think I still have a bruise from a family trip we took when I was like four,” I joke. “Sorry I stole your bed.”
He gives me a lopsided smile. “It was never my bed, Auddie. You beat me here so it was free game.”
“I mean, if you want to avoid getting kicked tonight, I don’t really move in my sleep so …” My face is on fire as I cover my eyes.
Seriously? Maybe I could’ve waited five minutes before suggesting that … I need to chill.
“Hm.” Is followed by the sound of blankets moving and then his body weight is beside me.
I peek through my fingers, rolling onto my side to face him. “What are you doing?” I whisper, staring at his bare chest and his perfect abs.
“Testing the bed,” he teases, leaning towards me. “You definitely smell better than him. Much better on the eyes, too.”
“Damn right I am,” I reply with faked confidence, my eyes fixed on his lips.
He clears his throat, blinking at me.
“Auddie.”
His hand grazes across my cheek and my breathing hitches as my eyes plead for him to kiss me. Instead, he wraps his arms around me, bringing me against his chest before kissing my forehead. “Are you doing okay with everything?”
Oh, Connor told him about Paul like I asked him to.
“Yeah, actually, it was like the last thread that was holding onto our relationship was severed. This new piece of information makes it easier to forget him.”
And makes me grateful we weren’t having sex at the end.
“Either way, I’m sorry … if I ever see him again, I’ll deck him for you.”
A long laugh escapes me as my fingers trail along his smooth skin, tracing the outline of every muscle and rib. “Seriously, I could run into him tomorrow and feel nothing at all. He’s out of sight, out of mind. I don’t want you thinking I’m just saying this because I know it’s what you want to hear.” I meet his eyes as I continue, “It wasn’t the kind of love I wanted or deserved. And I’ve realized that I had a lot of time to grieve the end of our relationship. I started grieving long before it was over and long before I knew what he was doing behind my back.”
“Are you sure?”
I nod, nuzzling into him. “Yes, Noah. I know Connor is upset too, but I’m over him in every possible way.”
I’m too busy wanting to be under you.
“Okay, I just didn’t want to glaze over it and make you think I don’t care.”
I poke his side. “I know you care about me, whether you ask about things or not. But can we just move on from Paul?”
And enjoy being in bed together.
“Sorry, yes. I have a beautiful girl in bed with me, that should be my focus,” Noah replies, squeezing me tighter against him. After a beat of silence, he lets out a long breath. “Why didn’t you text me?” He sounds almost self conscious.
“Why didn’tyoutextme?”
His heartbeat speeds up as he says, “Because I thought you wanted or needed space or were … shit, I was trying to be noble.”
I smack my forehead. “And I was waiting for you to reach out so you didn’t think I was needy.”
“Auddie, send me nine hundred texts a day and I’d still never call you needy.” We share a smile before he pulls me back against his chest. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Like, a lot.”
