Her sweet smile reminded me of a sunflower. “Doodle, you knowthat won’t happen. Routines can be changed and adjusted when needed. I think it would be amazing to live with you. I already adore you, and this way, I can have more time with you. I see no cons to this idea. Please say yes!”
There were so many cons, but with her looking at me like that, like she genuinely wanted me to move in, how could I say no?
I kicked myself for agreeing as I nodded. “Okay, fine. It sounds like you’ll be miserable forever if I don’t.” I smiled. It was such a double-edged sword, but it would save me a lot of trouble if I didn’t have to look for an apartment. But was it worth it?
I decided it was when her smile grew and she jumped up and down before giving me the strongest hug in the world. Yeah, totally worth it.
Chapter Four
DAISY
Kaia was moving in today,and even though I wished the circumstances were different, I was excited. I couldn’t wait to stay up late and gossip about our friends or complain about work.
I wasn’t surprised when she showed up with only a few boxes. She wasn’t a materialistic person, so I didn’t expect her to have a lot of things anyway. Besides, she downgraded a lot when we moved her out of her apartment and into her dad’s.
I would have to remember not to bring it up that much if I could help it. I was determined to do whatever I could to put a smile on her face. She deserved to smile, and the world deserved to see it.
“I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay here. Are you sure you don’t mind? It won’t be long, and you know I can share the expenses.”
“You are my best friend. I don’t mind, and you can stay as long as you want, you know this. Once things have settled down, we’ll talk about bills. Now, get set up in your room, take a hot shower, ‘cause you kinda stink, and I’ll order dinner.”
She gaped at me and went to smell her armpits. I chuckled when she scowled at me. “Very funny. But a hot shower does sound nice.”
She came up and wrapped her arms around me, and I rubbed her back as I always did when we hugged. Getting a hug from Kaia was like sitting by a cozy fire and feeling the heat kiss your cheek. Toasty, and always made you want to lean closer to feel more of the comforting warmth.
“Thank you,” she signed. I smiled and kissed her forehead, causing a small blush to appear on her face. It was normal for her to turn red when I did things like that, and I never understood why. Maybe she wasn’t used to affectionate gestures like that. I’d have to have a serioustalk with her next partner to make sure they were treating her how she deserved.
While Kaia settled in, Duke and I ordered from her favorite Italian restaurant down the street. After everything she’d been through lately, she had more than earned her favorite comfort food and comfort movie.
I texted her that I was going to take Duke for a walk to pick up our food. I didn’t want her to worry when she came out and saw the house was empty. She replied with her favorite heart emoji and told us to be safe, just like she did anytime I left the house.
When we got back, she was in the living room tidying up a bit. I slammed the door and she jumped. “Sorry I scared you, but what exactly are you doing?”
She blushed and apologized. “Sorry. I was a little anxious, so I was just keeping my hands busy. Your house isn’t dirty at all. I didn’t mean?—”
“Calm down,” I said after putting the food in the kitchen and walking back over to her.
I grabbed her shoulders and rubbed gently, trying to get her to relax. I knew her emotions were all over the place from losing her dad. Not to mention her period would show soon.
That was how close we were. I kept track of her cycles, and when I knew it was getting closer to that time, I made sure to have her favorite Thai order ready to go, and I always had cookie dough in the house. She loved chocolate chip cookie dough straight from the tub, but I had homemade snickerdoodles ready too. They were her favorite, hence her nickname—doodle.
“Sweetie, please take a deep breath. Even if you were cleaning, I wouldn’t be mad. That just means I don’t have to do it.” That produced a smile, and I was happy about that.
“I don’t want you doing anything today but relaxing okay? Sit on the couch and turn on a movie while I set up our food. I knowWhite Chicksis on one of the streaming services.” That was one of her favorite movies, so I knew by the sparkle in her eye that I’d gotten through to her.
Without another word, she plopped on the couch with her favorite blanket—the one I kept strategically over the back of her favorite cushion—and hunted for the movie. When I gathered our plates of herfavorite chicken alfredo—add shrimp—and returned to the living room, the movie was paused at the beginning with the captions on.
I smiled and set down our plates before heading back to the kitchen for our glasses of ice water with lemons. She loved lemons in her water, just like my grandma used to.
The movie started, and I grinned at her mouthing the words. She knew this movie like the back of her hand. We ate and talked during the boring parts, and I loved watching her trying to hide the way she danced along during one scene.
I yawned and stretched, trying to stay awake. It was getting late, and I was usually preparing for bed around this time, but I’d stay up for as long as she wanted me to tonight. Most nights, really.
She rolled her eyes when I put my feet in her lap, but she didn’t push them away. Instead, she massaged them, making my eyes roll back and my head fall against the arm of the couch. I hadn’t meant to let out a soft moan; it just hurt too good.
Kaia definitely noticed because her hands stopped moving. I looked up to her staring at me with something in her eyes. I couldn’t tell what it was, but her face was a little flushed.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
