“Reedy, let him in,” Blair calls from inside the apartment. Reed’s cheeks flush pink, but he takes a quick step back.
“Sorry. Come in.”
I’m trying not to laugh as I follow him. I love that the kid’s so excited to see me. Honestly, the feeling is mutual. I enjoy hanging out with him more than I would have thought.
Blair watches us with an indulgent smile. She looks fucking stunning. She’s wearing black leggings and an oversized hoodie with her hands tucked in the sleeves. Her curly hair is piled into a messy bun on the top of her head, and I don’t think she’s wearing a stitch of makeup.
I like her like this. Real and raw and beautiful. Not that she’s not beautiful every other day too. But this is a softer side of Blair I haven’t had the privilege of seeing yet.
“Hey,” she says to me. “You can put the pizzas on the coffee table. I’ll grab us some plates.”
“We can just eat out of the boxes, Blair-Bear. We each have our own.” Reed flops down onto the armchair, leaving the couch to me and his sister.
“We’re going to use plates. I don’t need you dropping sauce onto the furniture.” She shakes her head as she pulls three plates out of the cabinet and grabs a stack of napkins.
Reed rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything else. I love that about the two of them. They bicker and fight like siblings, but I can tell how much they love each other. And how much Reed respects his sister. They have each other’s backs, even when they annoy each other.
Fuck, I want that.
“Here you go.” Blair smiles at me when she hands me a plate, and I store it up for later. She’s beautiful.
Reed wastes no time opening all three pizza boxes until he finds his, piling three slices on his plate. “So what do you guys wanna watch?” he asks around a mouthful of food.
“Reed,” Blair admonishes, rolling her eyes.
“How aboutThe Santa Clause,” I suggest with a wink in Blair’s direction. I know I’ve made the right suggestion when she smiles softly at me.
“Seriously, dude? That movie is for kids.”
I shrug. “I like it. Guess that makes me a kid.”
“You’re just trying to get in good with my sister,” he mumbles.
I chuckle at that, because he’s not wrong. But I also do like the movie. It’s nostalgic. I remember watching it with my favorite babysitter as a kid. She ordered us pizza, just like this,made kettle corn and hot chocolate, and we laughed the whole night.
If Blair hears Reed’s commentary about my intentions, she doesn’t let it show. At some point, we’re going to have to talk about this. Whateverthisis. But I’m hoping to put it off a little longer because I’m not completely sure what’s happening. I like Blair. A lot. And I want to spend more time with her. But Blair’s not a casual kind of woman, and as tempted as I am to tell her I’m ready to go all in with her, I need to make sure that’s actually the case.
I don’t want to screw this up.
“The Santa Clauseit is.” Blair folds herself gracefully onto the couch, her feet tucked beneath her as she searches the streaming services for the movie. As she does that, I grab her a couple slices of pizza and hand her the plate once she’s done. “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
“This pizza is so good,” Reed says, groaning. “Blair, we need to get it from here next time.”
“It’s my favorite,” I say. “The sauce is slightly spicy, and it just makes it. They deliver too.”
What I want to offer—but don’t—is that I’d deliver pizzas to the two of them any time they wanted. All they’d have to do is ask. But if I say something like that, Reed will definitely give me shit, and I don’t want to make Blair feel uncomfortable.
We lapse into silence as the movie plays. Everyone grabs seconds, and Reed grabs thirds, and the carbs must be hitting all three of us hard, because halfway through the movie, Reed’s yawning so wide, it looks like he might crack his jaw.
He fights it for another fifteen minutes before running his hand through his curls and giving up. “I’m gonna go to bed. Thanks for bringing pizza, Logan.”
“No problem. Any time. Night, bud.” I hold out my fist, and Reed taps it before leaning over his sister and wrapping his arms around her.
“Night, Blair-Bear. Love you.”
“Love you too, Reedy. Sweet dreams.”
