Page 44 of Off Pitch

“I probably shouldn’t,” he says before positioning his lips by my ear. “But your goddamn freckles have had me sidetracked all day,” he whispers lowly as the stubble from his facial hair brushes my face. He repositions himself, now looking right into my eyes and running his thumb across my cheek. “I like that, though. You look so much better when you show them off.”

My breath hitches in my throat, fighting for release. That’s an honest admission from a man notorious for not sharing anything. I know by now that he’s comfortable around me, but his sincerity still surprises me. And it warms me to know he’s secure enough with me to share that.

“So, uh…” I sputter, trying to diffuse what feels like awkward tension. “I-I don’t think I’m getting much of my post written tonight.” I yawn genuinely. “I’m too tired to focus on it.”

“Yeah, uh… I’m pretty tired, too,” Knox says, turning his attention back to the TV in front of us.

The silence remains thick in the air as we try to forget what charged between us. But did something actually charge, or is that all in my mind? It doesn’t matter either way, so there’s no point in dwelling on the thought. And as the exhaustion from today finally catches up with me, I hope I don’t dwell on it in my dreams.

I rub my eyes, confused for a moment, before figuring out where I am. I’m still sitting on my sofa, wearing what I wore last night.

I must have fallen asleep while Knox was still here.

As I sit up to stretch myself out, I realize that I’m leaning against something,someone, very muscular.

My six-four fake boyfriend fell asleep on my couch beside me, leaning over and resting his head on the arm. And I apparently used his chest as a pillow.

It’s sort of cute... until I remember that it’s Wednesday morning.

“Knox!” I yell, trying to get his attention. “Knox!” I say louder, shaking his arm to wake him up.

He abruptly wakes, confused. “Huh- Lo? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on is you fell asleep on my couch last night, which wouldn’t normally be a problem, but today is Wednesday!”

“Why is Wednesday so special?” he asks as he stands to stretch himself out and relieve his cramped muscles.

Before I can answer, I hear the padding of feet outside my door before the sound of knocking echoes across the room. Realization finally crosses Knox’s face.

“Fuck, that’s when you meet up with your brother,” he says, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. “He’s going to make a big deal of me being here.”

“That’s… probably not the biggest of your concerns right now.” My gaze falls, and his follows… right to the morning wood he’s proudly displaying.

“Fuck me,” he murmurs, adjusting himself as I avert my eyes. “I was asleep—I can’t help that!”

“I know,” I say quickly. “Just… take care of that and fix your goddamn shirt.”

Cole knocks on the door again, and I jog across the room to open it. “Hey, Cole. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? How are you on this fine morning?”

He eyes me curiously. “Fine…” he says before stepping into my apartment. When he spots Knox across the room brushing the wrinkles out of his shirt, he breaks out in a wide, teasing smile. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing!” I say too quickly. “It’s really nothing. We both just ended up falling asleep on the couch last night.”

“You really think sleeping on a couch half your size the night before a game was a good idea?” Cole asks, lifting his brow to him.

“It wasn’t intentional,” Knox says, exasperated. “But I’m not pitching today, so I’ll be alright.”

“What an interesting morning this is turning out to be,” Cole says, delighted.

“I’m, uh… gonna head out. I’ll see you before the game, Lo.” As quickly as he can, Knox grabs his things and all but runs out the door, leaving me alone with Cole.

Cole leans back against my kitchen counter. “So, Knox stayed here last night, huh?”

“I didn’t know he was going to stay,” I reply, hands scrubbing down my face. “I was just as surprised as you were when I woke this morning.”

“A month and a half into this whole fake relationship, and Knox is already sleeping on your couch.” He smiles playfully. “Interesting.”

“Why is that interesting?” I ask. “It’s not like we did anything. Hell, we haven’t even kissed outside of when there are cameras on us.”

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