“You have always been the quiet one.” He says, never taking his eyes off me.
“Never around you.” I counter, realising a little too late how flirtatious that sounded. His eyes seem to darken for a split second before he blinks it away.
“That is true. What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” His lips curl up.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My feet are sore and I’m so tired after last night.” Which isn’t a lie. I may have evaded a hangover, but wow, am I drained now.
“Shall we get takeout and watch films all night?” He asks casually.
“That sounds perfect to me. I’ll show you to Sara’s old room so you can get settled.”
“Sounds good to me. And don’t worry, I have already showered at the hotel.” He winks as he follows me to his new room.
Butterflies set off in my stomach at the thought of him being the one to open the bathroom door naked. Having the chance to see all his manliness in the flesh. Thoughts of water droplets dripping down his abs float through my mind. A girl can dream, right?
The next few hours pass painfully slowly. The awkwardness from earlier lies thick between us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in any way ashamed of my body. It’s more the fact that he has now seen every part of it, and not in the way I’d have liked him to.
I head into the kitchen to make us some drinks whilst Max answers the door to the pizza guy. By the time I get back, Max has set up a picnic on the floor, with blankets and pillows scattered around. He has even picked a movie to watch. Could he be any more swoon-worthy? I love a man who can take control of a situation like this; it’s a major green flag. The next few days are going to be a lot harder than I could have ever imagined.
“Is that Twilight?” I ask, pointing at the TV.
He laughs in response, nodding his head.
“God, I love this film,” I say, a giddy grin gracing my face.
“I know. I know everything that you love.” He replies smugly.
“Oh yeah? Like what?”
He seems to ponder that for a moment, putting extra thought into his answer. “Well, I know how much you loveto dance, especially on stage. You love the freedom of being here, but also love the comforts of home. How much you love Thai food, but also love to make people happy. That’s why you suggested pizza, because it’s my favourite.” He raises an accusatory eyebrow before continuing. “You love to make people laugh, that’s why you’re such a goofball. You also love company, that’s why you didn’t want to stay here alone. And of course, the most obvious… You love me. Because I am the best.”
I snort out a laugh at that. He is such a knob. Of course, he had to add that onto the end.
“Yeah, I love how annoying you are.” I mock, rolling my eyes at him. “Now shut up. Edward is on, and he needs my undivided attention.”
“Yes ma’am.” He jokes. Before picking up a slice of pizza. “Mmm, this is so good.”
Fuck, even the way he moans about pizza, is hot.
I feel uneasy sitting here with him, and I don’t know why. It has never felt like this between us before. But I have never really spent one-on-one time with him like this either. Even when we have, our parents have been in the other room or our friends around us when we hang out. Is it all in my head? Because my feelings for him are so obvious to me, I’m projecting them on the atmosphere? Maybe he doesn’t feel this tension at all.
“Do you want me to get naked?” He says out of nowhere, making me sputter and choke on the pizza I was meant to be chewing.
“Wh-what?” I stammer out. I cough roughly as I try to catch my breath.
“You’re acting strange. And I think it’s because of what happened earlier. If you see me naked, will that stop you from treating me like I have rabies?” He huffs out dramatically.
The reasonable side of my brain knows he is joking. So why is the other side hoping he is being deadly serious?
“Don’t be ridiculous. I think I’ve shown enough body parts for both of us for one day.”
He studies me, his eyes locked on mine for a beat before he scans the rest of me. Only stopping once his gaze lingers on my legs.
“Lucy? What’s going on? Your leg is bouncing so much it’s like we’re sat on a washing machine.” Shit, I need to get a grip of myself, but the longer I’m sitting here, the more on edge I feel.
“Nothing, I promise. I’m fine, everything is fine.” I chant the same words in my head, willing myself to calm down and accidentally sounding like Ross from ‘Friends’. I pick up another slice and focus back on the film.
This is going to be a long night.
