When we went to get Savy a bag from her apartment and found out it was gone, everyone agreed it was up to us to look after her and she would come to stay with us until she could find another place. Even Ash was quick to agree with putting her in the spare room after what she’d been through. Now, all I can think about is the head fuck having her here constantly will be for me and it has me turning from the empty room to march to Jude’s. I can’t have some girl messing with my head. I need to focus. I need…
Her hair, that silky mass of chocolate that I never really got to have my hands in, is spread out over Jude’s pillow. There’s a soft pink to her skin as she sleeps and it makes me remember how pale she was lying in the hospital bed. Without permission, my feet cross the room as all thoughts of pushing her out of my head disappear, until I’m next to the bed and my hand reaches to brush some of her hair back away from her face. Those soft pink lips of hers part as she sighs in her sleep and I’m moving to sit next to her on the edge of the bed as her lashes flutter open and sleepy, sky-blue eyes are revealed.
I have to force my hands not to reach for her, scoop her up, and carry her to my bed where she belongs as she blinks up at me. Instead, I run my knuckles over her cheek.
“Morning, baby girl. How are you feeling?” I ask, my voice low and soft like I’m afraid I’ll scare her off.
She stretches and my eyes drop to the way the t-shirt she’s wearing stretches over her chest making my mouth go dry.
“Better, more myself. Where’s Jude?” she asks and I snatch my hand back from her face, reminded that she’s not mine to touch like this.
“He’s making you breakfast. He’ll be back in a minute.”
She keeps her eyes on me and I see the guarded look in them. The last time we spoke was before she had the allergic reaction and I had fucked it up, again.
“I’m sorry, Savy. I’m sorry you got hurt at the party and I’m sorry I hurt you with my bullshit. I seem to keep fucking everything up with you. I-I don’t want to do that anymore.”
Her eyes soften and she reaches for my hand, giving it a small squeeze. “I don’t want to fight with you, Tate, but I also don’t want to put on a show anymore.”
I lift her hand, uncurling her fingers to place a kiss on her palm. “I don’t want that either. It’s not fair to you. I’m sorry I put you in that position. I get that you’re with Jude now. I just wish…”
Her brow furrows and her eyes slide away from mine. “I don’t know…”
“Hey, roomie! I brought you breakfast in bed!” Jude calls out as he comes in with two plates loaded with food. Savy pulls her hand from mine and scoots up in the bed to lean against the pillows and then starts looking around like she’s trying to find something with a frown on her face.
I snag her glasses from the nightstand and hand them to her. As soon as they slide on to dim her gorgeous eyes, her hands go up to gather all that hair and she begins to wind it up into the bun she always wears. As I watch her do it, I realize that it’s her shield. She hides herself behind her glasses and bun like it will protect her from the world. She shoots me another guarded look before turning her attention to Jude with a small smile.
“Thank you, you didn’t have to do that. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as my packages get here and I have some clothes to wear. There’s a decent hotel near campus I plan to move into until I can find another apartment.”
Jude drops the plates on his nightstand and bounces onto the bed to flop half onto her lap.
“Nope, not happening! You’re staying here with us.”
Savy goes tense and darts a look my way. “Um, that’s incredibly generous of you but…I, uh, we all need our own space, Jude. A hotel is the better choice.”
It doesn’t seem to matter that just minutes ago I wanted her out and away from me as the words pour out.
“We cleared the spare room for you,” I tell her.
“Already ordered you a bed for it,” Jude chimes in, “although, I like you right where you are so it might not get used all that much.”
She’s still shaking her head. “Really, thank you - but Ash doesn’t want me here as it is. Staying here full-time isn’t fair to him. This is his home. He shouldn’t have…”
Jude cuts her off. “Who do you think hauled most of the weights to the basement? He and Beck cleared it while Tate and I were at the game.” He crawls up her body and goes nose to nose with her and I stand, feeling like an intruder. “Stay with me, us, baby doll. You won’t regret it.”
I start backing toward the door. “Honestly, Savy, we want you to stay. That’s what…friends are for. I-I’ll see you later.”
I tear out of there as Jude starts kissing away any more objections and head for the basement to punish my body. It’s the only thing I can think to do right now to try and clear her from my head again.
SAVY
“Have you seen my phone? It was in my purse at the dinner.” I ask Jude once we’re done eating a weird breakfast combo of toast, bacon, and leftover Thai noodles.
He rolls off the bed to take my plate and then crosses the room to his closet and comes back with the small blue purse I had been using that night.
“Hope you don’t mind. Your cell was blowing up when you were loopy. Your friend Stella had heard about the apartment thing on the news and was freaking out so I texted her back from your phone. I just let her know you were ok and filled her in on what had happened. She said to tell you not to worry about your shifts this week, that she’d get someone else to fill in.”
My hand freezes as I reach for my purse when I hear that but he doesn’t notice my hesitation and rambles on.
