“Nope. I was raised in a barn,” she replied cheerfully, pulling her hair into a loose ponytail. Her friendship bracelet glinted in the light as she grabbed the key card and headed for the door.
“You coming?” she called, a sock-clad foot propping the door open.
“Someone has to make sure you don’t buy only sugar,” I said, catching up.
“Of course not,” she said, flashing a cheeky grin. “I like chips too.”
We walked down the quiet hallway, the dimmed lights casting a soft glow on the carpeted floor. Her hand swung too close to mine, fingers brushing against my skin for the briefest moment. Instinctively, I pulled away, my pulse quickening.
She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, her expression curious, maybe even amused. I covered my reaction with a quick motion,pretending to scratch my hand as if nothing had happened. Cool, calm, collected, as if I hadn’t freaked out over a split-second touch.
We reached the elevators, and just as she’d promised, two vending machines stood against the wall, glowing like beacons in the quiet night. Chloe ran to them like a kid on Christmas morning, pressing both hands to the glass as she surveyed the snacks.
“Alright, then,” I said, motioning to the vending machine. “What’s on the menu?”
Chloe spent a few minutes pondering her choices, debating a chocolate bar or pack of gummies. Meanwhile, I leaned against the wall and waited, watching her every movement.
“Are you seriously this indecisive?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
“This is a big decision,” she said solemnly, her eyes narrowing at a packet of gummy bears. “Don’t rush me.”
Moments like this, her unexpected softness, felt dangerously good.Too good.I watched her from behind, every movement of her body intoxicating. Lying in that bed next to her had been excruciating.
My gaze traveled down her thin T-shirt, her biceps only slightly covered by the oversized cotton. It reminded me of her strength, how I admired that about her, wondering how she’d feel. If I could find a way to turn firm muscle into softness beneath my fingers, if her sharper edges would melt.
“You okay there?” Chloe asked, her head turned towards me.
“Yeah.” I blinked, snapping out of the spell. “Yes. I’m fine.”
Except I wasn’t. Not even a little bit.
“First kiss?” Chloe sat cross-legged in front of me, a pile of snacks spread between us on the bedsheet like it was a midnight picnic. Chloe, of course, had turned it into a game of truth or dare, though neither of us had the guts to actually pick dare.
“No.” I shook my head, grabbing another packet of gummies and tearing it open. I wasn’t even hungry, but if she was having a midnight snack, so was I.
“Oh, come on,” Chloe replied, tossing a wrapper at me. “You have to tell me.”
“I do not.”
“I told you who my first crush was,” she whined, shoving me lightly.
I smiled up at her. “Yeah, and I’ll hold that over your head forever.”
“Look, everyone goes through a bad-boy phase.”
“I’m sure they do.”
“So?” She leaned closer, her expression pure mischief. “Who was it? I want all the juicy details.”
I sighed. “You know we’re going to be exhausted tomorrow.”
“We can sleep on the flight.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “Now spill.”
I rolled my eyes but relented. “I was at a training camp.”
“Aw, a summer romance!” She clapped her hands together in mock excitement.
“Shut up. It was back in Spain.”
