Page 41 of Taylor

His hand found her knee.

It centered her but also cut back on the feeling of hope. If he felt the same, he would have said something. It was just for the holiday. She knew that, and it was good to remind herself.

The warmth of the plate as she picked up it comforted her. This wouldn’t be the first time she was comforted by food. The cheese in the omelet gave a satisfying pull as she took her first bite.

“Damn, this is really good.”

“I’m glad you like it. I’m not much of a cook, but I make a mean breakfast.”

“Are you going to eat?” she asked, feeling vulnerable.

He gave his head a slight shake. “Yeah, sorry.” He got his plate, and she missed his gaze.

The energy had shifted. Dammit, she wasn’t ready for this to be over yet. She had one more day with him.

“What do you want to do today?” she asked after sipping her coffee.

“I’m up for anything, but I’m perfectly content to spend another day on the couch with you and another night right here in this bed,” he said, drinking her in.

The feel of his eyes on her like this again perked that hope right back up. If she had one more day, she was going to make the most of it.

“Well, I’d like to finish that sketch I’ve been working on.”

“And I would like to finish the quest of clearing out Orc Mountain from the invaders from the Westerly Clans... So, it sounds like each of us have some work today,” he said, tucking a colorful lock of hair behind her ear.

“Do your teammates know you’re such a nerd?”

“They do,” he said, closing the distance. “They really do.”

Then he kissed her. He tasted like cinnamon and coffee, and it was everything.

Later that night,she was curled up on the couch as he played his game. She was putting the finishing touches on the sketch she’d been working on, pleased with how it had turned out.

Taylor’s phone rang.

It was strange to be reminded of the outside world. Part of her wanted them to exist in this cabin, just like this, always, but he was leaving tomorrow.

“Hey, Mom. How’s Disney?... I’m glad you guys are having fun... I miss you too... Yeah, I have relaxed. I’ve just been hanging out at my coach’s cabin.”

He glanced over to Alice, but she quickly looked back down to her sketch.

“Yep, I’m leaving tomorrow . . . Yeah, I can get you tickets, just tell me what game you want to come to . . . Okay, Mom . . . I love you, too . . . bye.”

He set his phone down. “Sorry about that.”

“You’re fine.”

“When do you leave tomorrow?”

“My flight leaves at two. I’ll probably try and get out of here in the late morning.”

And there it was. He was leaving, and this was ending. She knew that, so why did she feel like her heart was breaking in two? Sometimes, her sensitivity felt like a curse. Why did she have to feel everything so damn deeply? Why couldn’t she be one of those casual people who went through life to brush stuff off? Why couldn’t she just have a good time with him? Nope... She had to fall in love after three fucking days with a guy so far out of her league she would be mending this broken heart for months and months to come.

That was when she saw the way he was watching her. Sometimes, the way he looked at her made her think just maybe he felt the same way, but that was wishful thinking.

“Do you want to see?—”

“So, what’s going—” he blurted.

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