Page 26 of Before I Loved You

“Keep it together, big guy.” Jason pats my back, clearly stifling a laugh.

I should have known these four idiots wouldn’t appreciate this masterpiece. Scratch that; Natalie can do no wrong in my book, and Vanessa is sound asleep on the other side of the couch, so she’s also excused.

I’m never going to live this down.

As the episode winds down, Natalie lets out a yawn. “I’m so tired.”

“Yeah,” Nate adds, looking at me. “You want to make the couch your bed tonight? Or you know there is a neighbor down the hall… I could always see if she has a spare room.” An obnoxious grin spreads over his face.

I still haven’t told this fucker that Sarah’s the girl I’ve been searching for.

And now, I think I’ll continue holding on to this secret for a little longer.

“The couch is fine,” I grit out, stretching my legs.

“Suit yourself.” Nate lifts Natalie in his arms and walks her toward her room. “Night, everyone.”

I reach for a blanket off the ottoman and position a pillow beside me.

“Guess I’ll bring her to her room,” Jason murmurs, regarding Vanessa.

Oh, this is going to be fun.

I can’t help myself when I ask, “Do you need help?”

“Nope. I’ll take it from here,” he spits out, clenching his jaw.

I internally shake my head, laughing at this idiot who won’t admit his feelings for her.

My lips curve up as I watch him lift Vanessa, holding her against his chest, appearing so tiny in his massive arms as he shuffles toward her bedroom door and disappears inside her room.

I lie back on the sofa, placing a pillow under my head. The blanket barely covers my body, and as expected, my legs hang over the end. And knowing how much back pain I’ll be experiencing tomorrow makes me groan in frustration as I turn on my side.

My eyes blink a few times as I stare at the front door.

The door that opens to the hallway.

The door that’s down the hall from…

Sarah.

Maybe I should…

No, I definitely shouldn’t.

But I could. I mean, I did bring the jersey with me.

But what if—

Fuck it.

Jumping up from the sofa, I reach into my gym bag on the floor and pull out the new jersey I picked up today from the campus store.

Quietly, I open the door, sneaking out like a kid trying not to get caught by his parents. I reach Sarah’s door and hold my fist up, ready to knock when I stop myself.

What am I doing?

It’s way too late to be knocking on her door. She’s probably asleep, and I’ll end up scaring the shit out of her if she thinks I’m a burglar.

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