Page 140 of Made Better Together

“Doubtful.” She sweeps past us. “Have fun tonight, you two. I know I will.”

As the door clicks behind us, I take Eden in. She’s wearing a zipped-up Tolliver hoodie and white shorts. Nothing fancy, but like my attire—perfect for a night at home. Or at the dorm, in this case.

“She won’t be back until tomorrow, at least if things go as planned. She’s meeting up with this basketball player she hooked up with last time he was in town.”

Works for me. “You want to give me the tour?”

“Welp, this is our shared area.” She waves her hand in a semi-circle.

The space is maybe 400 square feet, but that’s plenty for their furniture. Like many Florida buildings, it has a new construction feel. They’ve put up enough Halloween decorations to counter that, together with a couple of plants I assume have been there all year.

“Nice.”

“We’re hosting a pre-party for the team Sunday before we stop by a couple of gatherings, so Bree wanted to get festive.” She gestures toward an open door. “This is my room.”

She heads in, while I stop at the doorframe. The room is as small as she described. The bed, a twin, with just enough space to walk through to her desk and closet on the back wall.

I must be making a face, because she grimaces. “I know, it’s tiny. With both of us here, anyway.”

“Good thing we like each other.” I don’t want her to feel bad. “Come sit on the bed with me.”

A minute later, after she rearranges some pillows to cushion our backs against the wall, we’re side by side, legs dangling off. She’s so cute, waving her bare legs back and forth.

“Now you see my exciting view every night.”

I tilt my head toward her. “I don’t mind this view.”

Her answer is a kiss on the top of my brow. “Me neither.”

“Are we going to the dining hall for dinner?” I tease.

“Haha. No, there’s a bunch of takeout menus we can pick from. Are you hungry now?”

“Cool. No, later.”

She rubs the top of my hand, which is resting next to her hip. “How was your appointment today?”

I’d walked out of it three hours ago. “I liked her. Deb—that’s her name—went to school with my Princeton counselor and has similar energy. This first time was more about sharing my history. We’re going to do a round of EMDR on Tuesday.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“I’m relieved.”

Those two words come out without thought, but a beat later awareness hits—with her, I’ve fully shed my normally airtight filter. I can talk to her about anything.

A wave of gratitude washes over me. I don’t have the right words yet to tell her how much it means to have her in my life.

So instead I wrap her up tight in my arms, cradling her against my body. Showing she’s cherished, if also recognizing she’s becoming my life raft.

After a few minutes, I loosen my hold, and we drift back to rest against our respective pillow cushions. “Do you need to do any homework? If so, that’s okay.”

“No, I worked all day so I could be free.” She raises a brow, a smile creeping on her face. “I do have my questionnaire filled out if you’re ready to compare?”

I was going to wait to bring it up, but since she has… “I’m ready.”

Her grin widens. “Okay, but before that, let me take off this sweatshirt.” Her voice is full of innuendo—and my curiosity starts to rise: am I getting a peep show already?

But nope, when she stands and unzips the hoodie, a different surprise is waiting for me.