Page 144 of Puck Me Back to Life

Like he's confused that I knew exactly what he was going to ask.

I usher him inside and quietly kick the door shut behind us. The condo feels familiar in a way it didn't two days ago. Not because anything has changed. Because he's here.

Kai wanders into my bedroom while I set the bags down. He stops beside the bed, looking at it with the kind of longing usually reserved for people stranded in deserts finding water.

“You look ready to pass out.”

“Mhm.” He doesn't even argue.

That alone tells me how exhausted he really is.

“Come here.” I wave him over.

He does. I help him out of his hoodie first. Then his T-shirt. He's so sleepy that he lifts his arms automatically whenever I tug at the fabric. His track pants follow.

By the time he's standing in nothing but his boxer briefs, he's blinking slowly enough that I'm convinced he's asleep on his feet.

“Bed.”

He crawls beneath the blankets without another word. I pull them up over his shoulders. The second his head touches the pillow, he sighs. A deep, contented sound. Like every muscle in his body has finally decided it's allowed to relax.

I turn toward the door.

“Kiss.”

I stop and look back.

Kai is watching me with heavy eyelids.

“What?”

“You forgot.”

I smile despite myself. “I did, didn't I?”

I lean over the bed. His hand comes up to rest lightly against my jaw as our lips meet. The kiss is brief. Gentle.

Nothing like the frantic making out that got us kicked out of a movie theater an hour ago. When I pull away, he hums happily.

Then his eyebrows knit together. “My punishment.”

I blink.

“You said...” He yawns so widely he has to stop talking. “...I earned one.”

I laugh. “I did say that.”

“When?”

“Later.”

His eyes narrow just enough to tell me he's attempting suspicion despite being seconds from unconsciousness. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

Apparently, that's good enough. He smiles, then rolls onto his side, pulling my pillow into his arms. Less than thirty seconds later, he's asleep.

I stand there for another minute just watching him breathe. He's peaceful, for once.