“Oh, good heavens, no. Thank you, though.”
His scowl deepens. “Come on. Let’s get you to where it’s quiet, so you can sleep.” He steps forward and takes my bag from my shoulder and throws it over his. “Anything else?”
I grab my phone and wallet. “Nope.”
He walks over to the door and holds it open for me. He puts a hand on my lower back as we walk down the hallway. Minutes later, we’re in his truck, leaving campus. He shakes his head, and I catch it. “What?”
He taps the steering wheel with his thumb while we wait at a light. “I forgot how much I hate dorm life.”
“Youlived in the dorms?”
He glances over at me. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“Why?” he asks.
“I don’t know because you’re like...a god or something on campus. I can’t picture you living in the dorms.”
“I am not a god,” he says in a low voice.
“Have you seen the way people treat you?” I ask. “People like literally stop what they’re doing when you walk into a room.”
“That’s not true,” he argues.
I shake my head. “It totally is.”
We’re both quiet after that. I’m too tired to think of something to say to keep the conversation going. The trip goes quickly, and soon we’re walking inside. The house is blissfully quiet as I follow him. When we get to his room, he opens the door and ushers me in. He drops my bag on the floor, but I don’t move. I’m staring at his bed. “Slater, why is there a big pink blanket on your bed and a pink throw pillow?”
“If you think really hard, I bet you can figure it out. Now, come on.” He puts his hands on my shoulders and directs me towards the bed. I stop.
“Wait. There’s fuzzy socks.” I stare down at the soft pink socks and blink back tears. “Slater?”
He rubs a thumb over my right shoulder. “It’s for you. All of it’s for you.”
“But,” I choke on the word, and the tears come. There’s no stopping them now.
“Tess, what’s wrong?” He turns me to face him. “Please tell me what’s wrong.”
I close my eyes and try to get control of my emotions. “I’m sorry, Slater. I’m just really tired.”
His face softens, and the worry eases. “Okay. Come on.” He guides me backwards until the back of my knees hit the bed. I kick off my shoes and lay back. I reach for the soft blanket, buthe grabs it for me and covers me with it. “Is this okay?” I ask, my eyes barely staying open.
“Sleep, Tess.”
Chapter 24
Tessa
My alarm wakes me up. I turn it off, but it takes me a moment to remember what time of day it is or evenwhatday it is. I notice the pink blanket surrounding me, and it all comes back to me. I sit up in bed, still waking up. I feel soo much better. When I glance at my phone again, I realize it’s a few minutes after seven. I need to get moving, so I can get back to campus on time. I check my phone and see that Slater texted me. I open it eagerly.
Slater-I have practice until six-thirty. I should be back a little after seven to pick you up and get you back on campus before you start at eight. I’m going to stop to pick up something for you to eat. Anything sound good?
I read his text again and note that he sent it around two-thirty. Realizing he’s going to be here any moment, I quickly get moving. I fold up the blanket. I take off the socks and stuff them in my bag to wash back at the dorms. I leave the pillow and blanket on the end of his bed and change into my uniform. I’m just about ready when a knock sounds on the door. “Come in.”
The door opens, and Slater walks in, smelling like he just jumped out of the shower and threw clothes on. I take a breath, and it stalls in my chest. “Hey,” I say softly, unsure what else to say.
He gives me a soft smile, and I swear I feel it all the way to my toes. “Hey. Are you ready?” I nod. “I don’t want to rush you, but I don’t want you to be late. And I want you to be able to have a few minutes to eat.” He picks up my bag and throws it over his shoulder and then leaves. I follow him through the quiet house and out to his truck. He throws my bag in the backseatand opens the front door for me. I climb up and instantly smell sandwiches. My stomach growls eagerly. He closes my door and heads around to his side. I buckle just as he climbs in. “I didn’t know what you’d be hungry for, so I just grabbed hoagies. Is that okay?”
