Page 35 of Before I Loved You

I catch her eyes, wishing I could hear every thought inside her head. “You want me to?”

She nods. “I’m just having one of those days where I don’t want to be alone.” She looks at the ceiling before returning her sight to me. “Do you ever have days like that?”

I don’t hesitate when I say, “All the damn time.”

She moves her teddy bear to the other side of the bed and lifts the blanket, motioning for me to slide in beside her, which I do, positioning myself on my back. Turning on her side, she removes the washcloth from her forehead and throws it on the nightstand before she rests her head on my chest and melts against me as my arm wraps around her waist, my hand brushing her bare skin where her T-shirt has ridden up.

Her hand rests on the lower half of my torso, her fingers tangling around the fabric, and her leg swings over mine, clinging to me.

We’re cuddling. And it doesn’t feel forced or weird. It feels natural, like something we should be doing all the time.

“You’re good at this,” she says softly.

“Good at what?”

Looking up at me, under those dark lashes, she says, “Cuddling.” The corners of her lips curve up as she moves herself on top of me, her chin now resting right on my chest. “Thank you for taking care of me. No one has done that in… Well, thank you.”

I slide my hands under her shirt on her back, applying a soothing pressure. “Of course.” I lean up, kissing the top of her head, her raven-black hair cascading over her bare shoulder. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.” She pierces me with those damn beautiful emerald-green eyes, momentarily distracting me.

Removing one of my hands from her back, I watch as she subtly frowns until I place it on her cheek, my thumb gliding across her smooth skin. “Why did you leave after my game?”

Her whole body tenses in my arms as she pales, looking like she might get sick again.

“I…umm,” she starts to say.

“I texted and called you, but nothing. I left the arena searching the parking lot for you, worried something might have happened.” Her lips part, her eyes glimmering against the translucent moonlight entering her window. “You don’t seem like the type who would just up and ghost someone. So why?”

Her eyes avert me, her bottom lip trembling before she sucks on it. “I’m sorry for worrying you, but…I don’t do relationships, Paul,” she admits with a shaky breath. “I’m not that kind of girl, and I didn’t want you to get the wrong impression of me if I went out with you after your game.”

My eyes flick up at the ceiling, her words leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth, but only momentarily. Because the bigger part of me, the part that witnessed her light up when I asked her out, doesn’t believe a damn word she just said.

She came to my game.

She wore my jersey.

She wanted to be there.

So what made her leave?

“It was just supposed to be one night,” she whispers, tucking her chin down.

The impact of those words stabs me right in the center of my chest, but I ignore it because she’s right. It was supposed to be just one night, but now, I want more.

I want all of her nights…if she’ll let me.

“Yeah. You’re right. I knew that,” I say, hiding the pain of not feeling good enough to be more than one night for her.

“I’m sorry, Paul.” She looks up at me with glistening eyes, blinking fast to keep her tears at bay.

“It’s okay, Sarah.” I slowly swipe my thumb across her bottom lip, trying my best to give her a small smile.

“If you want to leave, I understand.”

I hold her tighter, savoring the feeling of her body against mine. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me for one more night.”

“Promise?”

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