Page 50 of Catching Feeling

“You didn’t have to do that,” she says quietly. “Watch me puke. I can’t imagine how unsexy I look right now.”

Getting the alcohol out of her system seems to have sobered her up a little, and now she just looks tired.

I shrug, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out a washcloth to wet it under warm water from the sink. “Not the first or last time I’ve seen someone puke, Sweet Tart. And for the record, you still look sexy as fuck right now.”

She takes the rag from my extended hand and pats her mouth with it.

“There’s a spare toothbrush in the drawer right there if you want to brush your teeth. I’ll leave you and let you get cleaned up.”

When she nods, I give her a small smile, leaving her to it.

Ten minutes later, she comes out of the bathroom, looking less pale as she walks back towards my bed. “I know you said we can’t do anything tonight, and I understand. I’ve had too much tequila, clearly, and just tried to climb you like a tree. But…” She trails off, her gaze dropping to the rumpled bed. “Could I sleep with you? Just sleep? I just don’t really feel like being alone right now.”

I’m already pulling the covers back for her when I nod. “Of course. C’mon.” I’m surprised as fuck that she’s even asking, but she keeps surprising me, giving me exactly the opposite of what I think’s going to happen. It surprises me that a girl who keeps trying to hide things from everyone keeps giving me the gift of her vulnerability.

Her warm, soft body slips beneath the covers next to me, facing me with her hands tucked under her head. The heat of her body radiates, and our eyes are locked.

Moments pass with neither of us saying a thing, simply… breathing.

Without thinking, I reach out and twirl my finger around a piece of her hair. Her eyes drop closed, and she makes no move to stop me, so I run my fingers through the soft strands, gently playing with her hair.

“Mmm,” she murmurs. “Keep doing that, please.”

Not that I had any intention of stopping. So I continue dragging my fingers gently over her scalp, scooting my body just an inch—okay, three—closer to her.

I can’t remember a time where I’ve done this before. Laid in bed with a girl that didn’t involve sex. Usually, girls want to fuck me, and then we’re exchanging pleasantries and they’re out the door. They know the score before it happens, and I’m always up-front and honest that I’m not looking for a relationship or anything like it. It’s always been that way.

So this is a first for me, and it’s a little scary that I like it so much. It’s even scarier that I think that it’s solely because it’s Viv.

“When I was younger, my mom used to do this for me.”

“Play with your hair?” I ask.

She nods against my hand. “Yeah. Back before… everything happened. She would come into my room at night and talk to me about my day and play with my hair. Sit with me for hours and talk about absolutely nothing at all, but it always felt like everything. I miss it sometimes.”

The sadness in her voice makes my chest ache. I don’t really know what’s happening at home, but whatever it is, it’s weighing on her.

I wrap my arms around her body and pull her to me, her face burrowing into my bare chest, without even thinking about it. I just want to fucking hold her right now, and I hope like hell she doesn’t give me shit.

Her body tenses for a second, and then she melts into my arms.

“Thank you,” she whispers. “For everything tonight.”

“Always, Viv.”

Neither of us moves, only the sound of our breathing filling the room, and in what feels like only seconds, I hear her breathing even out, and she’s asleep in my arms like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

And truthfully? It feels like it is.

12

viv

Everything Changes

My entire body is on fire. Not literally, but it feels like I’m wrapped in the warmest, fluffiest cloud surrounding every inch of my skin. And that’s what pulls me from sleep. I crack one eye open and immediately regret doing so when the entire room is entirely too bright, bathed in the morning sunlight.

It’s too early to be awake right now, and my skull throbs in reaction to the rays. My eyes drop shut to block the light.

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