5
Ava woke up on the couch. It was dark out. She had slept the day away, but she wasn’t mad about it. Her stomach was still queasy, and she was afraid to move in fear of vomiting again.
“Hey,” Cole said. He appeared in front of her and took a seat on the edge of the couch, resting his hand on her hip.
She almost shoved him off, but refrained. Mainly because he was much larger than her, so she doubted he would have budged if she had tried. Plus, she didn’t have the energy.
“How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet. I’m afraid to move.”
“I ran to the cafe and picked up some soup and saltines for you if you’d like to try that.”
Her stomach growled. She was starving. She nodded slowly. “Okay.”
He took her hands and helped pull her up, and she immediately swayed. He wrapped his arms around her, tugging her against his body. It felt so good that she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him. Her body betrayed her, but at that moment, she didn’t have the energy to fight it.
Ava laid her head against his chest and breathed him in. He smelled freshly showered, and she was mildly jealous, knowing she likely stunk.
Good. Smell my stink.
She nearly snorted at her own thoughts. If she couldn’t push him away, then he could be punished with her smell.
He wrapped his arms tighter around her and sighed. It felt nice, but she wasn’t about to forget what had happened between them five months ago. Ultimately, he had rejected her, and she would not let it go so easily… as petty as it may be. She couldn’t push for more and risk their friendship going up in flames. She wasn’t sure she could handle losing him, even though their relationship was far from okay at that point.
“Let’s get you some food,” he said softly.
He kept his arm around her as they walked to the table, and then he pulled her chair out. Once she sat, he scooted her chair in and then sat across from her.
“You aren’t eating?” she asked.
“I already ate, and my stomach is a little upset.”
“Uh-oh. You’re probably getting this bug.”
“Hopefully not. I want to take care of you.”
She met his eyes across the table. “Why?”
“Because you’re my best friend.”
“I see,” she said. “Did you find my photography receipts? I left them on the counter.”
Changing the subject was about all she could muster right now. Her energy levels were low.
“I did. And I already took care of most of them.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You did?”
He nodded. “I went by the bookstore earlier when you were sleeping. I got a good portion of the accounting done.”
“Sure didn’t take you long. You charge a lot for little work.”
He smirked. “Last I checked, I haven’t charged you.”
Her eyes bounced between him. “I suspect that will be changing.”
He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Why do you say that?”
