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Chapter 15

Shane

When I opened my eyes, I saw Ruben’s bed. He was awake. But he quickly closed his eyes again.

Grinning, I rolled onto my back. He was such a cowardly bastard.

The movement made my brain protest. Damn. What had I drunk again? The headache of the century was pounding behind my forehead. I should have stayed away from that herbal schnapps.

My only consolation was that my stomach wasn’t acting up. Shit. But spending my day off in this state wasn’t exactly pleasant either.

Groaning, I held a hand over my eyes. Maybe that way I could push back all the misery hidden behind them.

“Hangover?” came the question from the bed next to mine.

“Ah,” I grunted.

Ruben sighed, and his bedspread rustled. Shortly after, I heard his bare feet shuffling across the wooden floor. Damn it. I didn’t even manage to admire his cute ass. Hadn’t we agreed that from now on it was officially allowed?

Okay. I might not be able to reconstruct the details of our conversation on the dance floor. But I still remembered clearly the gist of what I had said. And as soon as I could, I would tell Ruben.

I heard him in the bathroom and tried to control the pounding in my head.

“Do you need anything?”

I hadn’t noticed that Ruben had come back from the bathroom and crept up to my bed. I squinted at him through narrowed eyes.

His face showed a mixture of concern, frustration, affection, resignation, and gentleness? I was most likely imagining it all. Instead of answering, I grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the mattress with me.

He awkwardly supported himself and sat on the edge of the bed. I closed my eyes again and leaned against his thigh.

“Will you make my headache go away?”

Ruben laughed softly. “Oh man. I predicted that last night.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled into the pillows.

His muscles and tendons twitched under my hand. If I knew what he was planning to do with his fingers, I would let go of him. But I was afraid he would simply take them away. That was not an option at all at the moment. I continued to hold his wrist loosely and enjoyed the warmth of his body.

“Should I bring you some water? Breakfast?”

I fought against the weights on my neck that were pressing me painfully onto the mattress and pushed myself up.

“I can make you soup, too. Let me think for a moment. To compensate for the lost minerals and electrolytes, you need water, salt, vitamins, a little fat. I’ll think of something.”

“You’re pretty awesome, you know that, right?” I asked him. My voice was hoarse and worn out because I had sung too loudly, partied too long, and drunk too much yesterday. Not because my hungover mood made me realize what I had let slip through my fingers that summer.

Ruben snorted with amusement. “Yes, I’m brilliant.” He rolled his eyes. “I’d do that for any friend.”

I laid my leaden head back down. Skin to skin with Ruben’s thigh again.

“That’s what I mean. It’s not a given that someone would care like that. You spoil me. I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”

Now he pulled his hand out of my grip. I wanted to growl in protest, but I let him have his way.

And I was rewarded with his fingers in my hair. “A little pampering never hurt anyone.”

My head was still struggling with German herbs that had been processed into high-proof alcohol, and I couldn’t say everything I wanted to. I concentrated on the most important thing. “I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate it. In the summer. Or didn’t show you properly. At least not in a way that made you understand that I did recognize it.” A sharp pain shot from the bridge of my nose to the back of my head. “Ah. Fuck. I’m talking shit. My head is killing me.”