That gets a small smile out of her.
She nods and moves toward the bed, perching on the edge like she’s not quite sure what to do. I grab an extra blanket from the closet and spread it out on the floor, keeping my back to her to avoid staring.
I fail anyway.
It’s not about her body. It’s the way she moves when she thinks I’m not looking. The way her shoulders relax. I notice she looks around my room, like she’s taking it all in.
I can’t ignore this urge to get to know her too.
Not the version she shows to the world, but the one I’ve only caught glimpses of underneath. The one who watches our practices from the stands. Who flinches when someone gets too close. The one who doesn’t trust easily.
I want to understand where all that comes from.
I want to break down every wall and see what’s left.
That thought should scare me because nothing about how I’m feeling is casual. And it’s already too much for knowing her for only two nights.
I nod toward the bathroom. “Get comfortable. I’m gonna take a quick shower.”
She murmurs, “Okay,” and adjusts the pillows, settling into the bed. I grab a pair of clean sweats and head into the bathroom before I can get caught up at the sight of her on my bed.
The water helps.
It burns my skin and helps ground me, washing off the earlier adrenaline and images I don’t want to replay. Him shoving her against the siding, the fear I saw in her eyes I can’t quite shake.
The thought of what could’ve happened if I hadn’t been there to step in.
When I step back into the room, I’m wearing black sweatpants and nothing else.
She looks up and immediately darts her gaze away.
For a half second, I wonder if it’s this—our proximity and the tension I feel burning between us—or if it’s the fact that I’m standing here shirtless like an idiot. Either way, I cross to my dresser and grab a Rixton U shirt, then pull it on without comment.
Her shoulders ease, and I don’t say anything about it.
“Movie?” I nod toward the TV.
“Sure.” Her gaze drifts past me, lingering on my Xbox console beneath the screen. “You game?”
I pause. “Yeah.”
She shrugs like it’s nothing. “I do too. Or, well… I did. It’s been a while. Haven’t really had a chance since I moved.”
I grab the remote and open the movie app, shuffling through them.
“Cooper?”
I glance up. “Yeah?”
Her gaze flicks between me and the hardwood floors. “You sleeping on the floor is not much better than the loveseat at my place.”
“I’m fine,” I insist.
“I’d feel better taking the floor,” she says quietly.
I freeze. “Over my dead body.”
Her brows lift, and she laughs softly, like she hadn’t expected that response.
