“Over here,” I rasp.
“I’m sorry.” Her voice is filled with remorse. “I shouldn’t have done that. I stepped over the line.”
“It’s fine.” I sigh, opening the stall door. “It was more or less me, horrified by the thoughts running through my head. Not that you were touching me.”
“Still.” She hands me a pair of boxers and sleep pants. The boxers are new. She bought them for me despite my telling her not to. And the sleep pants were her brother’s.
“Thanks.” I take them and strip out of my dirty clothes.
Taylor turns away and keeps talking. “Sometimes I forget we’re not actually dating, you know? Things just feel so comfortable, so right. Then I remember that we don’t like the opposite sex, and this isn’t real.”
“Hey.” I turn her around to face me when I’m dressed. My heart breaks when I see tears in her eyes. “Don’t cry,” I murmur. “This is real. Real for us. I love you so fucking much, Tay. You’re my world. I’d do anything for you.”
“I know,” she rasps. “The same goes for me.”
“I want you to be happy. If you being with me like this gets in the way of your happiness, I need you to tell me.”
She shakes her head, sniffing as she wipes her eyes. “It’s not. I told you I’d let you know if there was someone I want to be with.” She huffs out a sad laugh. “Well, I mean, there is, but I can’t have her.”
Sighing, I pull her into my arms and hug her. “I know.” I kiss the top of her head. “I know the feeling all too well.”
Rooming with Bennett is a bad idea. A very bad idea.
I don’t see how anything good is going to come from this. For me, or for him.
It won’t be long before we’re at each other's throats.
We head back to the room. The lights are still off, and the silence is deafening. Unable to take it, I turn on the fan next to the bed to add some white noise.
We crawl under the covers, and I pull Taylor into my arms. “Night,” she whispers.
“Night.” I kiss her forehead.
I don’t fall asleep. Instead, I lie there for what feels like hours and stare at the ceiling.
Tomorrow is going to be hell, that's for sure.
“Morning.” Taylor’s groggy voice has me smiling down at her sleepy face.
“Morning.” I chuckle. “Go back to sleep. I gotta shower and head to practice.”
“When it’s over, I’ll swing by and pick you up,” she murmurs, rolling over to bury her face in the pillow.
“Sounds good.” Leaning down, I press a kiss to her head before standing and stretching. Rubbing the sleep away from my eyes, I notice that Bennett isn’t in his bed.
Good. He must have left for practice already. The longer I can avoid an awkward moment with him, the better.
My clothing options are minimal, so digging through my dresser is quick work. I grab a pair of boxers, a black T-shirt, and jeans.
It’s not until I’m stepping into the bathroom that I realize I don't have any shampoo or body wash.
Fuck. I knew I was forgetting something. Yesterday, I used Bennett’s. It was just sitting there on his dresser, and I thought I could take a quick shower and have it back before he returned. I was so close.
He made such a big deal over me using it. Sure, it’s his, but it’s just shampoo and body wash. It’s not like I used his toothbrush.
Ah, fucking hell. I forgot that back in my room.
I’m about to turn around and head back when I hear the water shut off. Someone's in here. Maybe they will do me a solid and let me borrow what I need. I plan on swinging by the dollarstore before heading to my first shift at the bar and getting some cheap brand.
