Page 31 of Never Have I Ever

I think that’s the most honest thing she’s said to me. On that note, I close the door and leave, something I should have done more than two years ago.

11

Laird

“I smell coffee.” Poppy pads down the hallway in woolly socks, entering the living room in a T-shirt and shorts. I had hoped to be over her by morning, but I failed. She’s fucking spectacular.

Guess I have more work to do, as Nikki would preach.

She smiles when our eyes catch in the morning light, and she stops with a gentle tilt of her head. For a moment, I see the same woman who made me fall madly in love with her. The way the corners of her eyes are softer when she looks at me as if her dreams are still caught in them, the slight upturn of her lips that gives her permission to admire me, and the ease of her shoulders signifying there’s nothing to do on the agenda today other than loving me.

We were so close to having it all, but we let it slip away. “Good morning.” Her voice is even convincing me that what I believed is only misinformation.

All I have to do is bow at her feet to win her heart back.

But these are the lies I slept with all night. Not reality.

Feeling duped by my thoughts, I reply, “It’s morning.” I didn’t intend for a measured sigh to follow, but there’s no use pretending we’re anything other than what we are.

She asks, “Didn’t sleep well?”

“I slept fine.” I slept like shit, thinking about her all night. “Why?”

Shrugging, she moves into the kitchen, putting her back to me as she studies the mug as if I might have poisoned her. I’ve discovered she has a spikey side, but it’s one I would wholeheartedly accept into my life if given the chance.

I say, “It’s safe.”

Her shoulders shake with the softest of laughs. “Guess I’m busted.”

“I checked mine as well.”

That has her leveling me with a glare and then laughing. “Wise. You never know if I was sneaking around in the night.”

“I would know because there are cameras.”

She looks at the corners of the room, her gaze bouncing around to scan for the hidden cameras. When she turns back to me, she’s not as amused as before. “Don’t you have to get my permission to film me?”

“Not in my house.”

“I thought it was your parents’?”

I shrug because we both know it’s the same thing.

As much fun as it is to spar with her verbally, I don’t want her to be paranoid. “There are no cameras. If you’re here to rob the joint or break my legs, there won’t be any evidence.”

She finally fills the mug I left out for her and takes a sip. “Good to know. Good. To. Know.” Holding the cup close to her chest, she asks, “And why would I want to break your legs?”

“Long story. Three-hundred and ten pages, in fact.”

She’s quite adorable when she looks at me perplexed. I’d rather have her swooning, but I’ll take her myriad of emotions over nothing. “What are we talking about? I’ve only had a few sips of coffee. The caffeine isn’t working yet.”

“It’s not important.” She is. Seeing her in the morning light reminds me of making love to her at sunrise in Austin. The sun had snuck in to wake us, but it wasn’t words that roused me to kiss her. It was the light in her eyes and how I could see forever.

Any other time I’ve thought of that moment, the last I held her before leaving to pack, I couldn’t linger long on the memory. Now, I want to indulge in it to compare to how she’s changed or if I can still see eternity. I know the answer, but selfishly, I’d love the opportunity. “How did you sleep?”

“Surprisingly well considering.”

The woman knows how to lay down a trap. I walk right into it. “Considering?”

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