Page 55 of Playing Flirty

William frowned at me in question.

“Because of how much we traveled and the middle-of-nowhere places we ended up in, there were plenty of times my stomach did not agree with what we were eating, and we treated it wherever we were, sometimes with the help of the locals. Other times, I thought I may die or lose a parent.” I shut my eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean…”

He smiled a gentle, weak smile that had my free hand trailing up to touch the dip of his now-shallow dimple.

“You had a strange childhood,” he whispered.

His hot hand slid into mine, and I tangled our fingers, my heart softening in a way I hadn’t expected. I squeezed lightly before releasing him. “I’ll be right back.”

He swallowed hard, shut his eyes, and whispered as I left his bedroom, “This is kind of like a dream I’ve had.”

I heated the bean bag in the kitchen and prepared an electrolyte mixture using the strange unlabeled sachet my mom had sent me.

When I got back, William was curled up, and my heart sprung from my chest at his unease. I unfurled him and helped him sit before lifting the hem of his shirt and placing the bean bag on his stomach. I averted my gaze, trying not to stare at how even more defined he was than I’d expected.

He noticed and chuckled.

I handed him the drink, which he eyed through narrow slits.

“Trust me on this.” I brushed his hair away from his face again—more for myself than for him, if I was honest. I wanted to touch him, not because of all the general reasons I had been wanting to touch him, but for a different reason. Something new and strange blossomed in my chest. Something that shouldn’t be blooming for William. But he looked so soft, vulnerable, and open. So unlike the William I was used to.

I shook off the strange feeling that was consuming me. I was simply taking care of a friend. I’d do it for Shaun, I’d do it for Neema, I’d do it for Claire and even Lincoln, if he’d let me. It was no different with William.

But that was a lie.

Everything was different with William.

“You don’t have to be here,” he said, after taking the first sip and grimacing.

“Is the drink so bad you’d rather send me away?”

He laughed again, and my heart skipped.

“No.” He took another sip. “But what about the wedding stuff? Shaun won’t be too pleased you’re here… for various reasons.”

“I didn’t ask for his permission.” I sat beside William with my back against the headboard and our arms pressing together. “And… I want to be here. Do you want me here?”

“I do,” he said without any hesitation.

I turned my head and kissed his ear. “Consider this payback for the ankle. We’re even.”

He melted into it and then gulped the last bit of the drink before leaning his head against mine. Heat radiated from him.

I slid my hand up to his jaw to support his head before placing my lips on his forehead. “You’re hot.”

“Thanks, so are you.”

I giggled.If life was a game, William never stopped playing.

I propped him up with as many pillows as I could find before slipping into the kitchen and fetching a cloth and some cool water. When I returned, his eyes were closed. One of my most hated memories was waking up to a cold, wet cloth against my fever-ridden body. I took one long look at him, enjoying the slow rise of his chest and the touch of color returning to his cheeks.

I placed the bowl of cold water on his desk and marveled at his collection of… well, everything. William had stacks of games, comics, books, trinkets, and superhero figurines. If I had more expendable cash, my room would look exactly the same.

I lifted the latest copy of Haunted Thrones. Of course he was following this series too.

A soft moan called my attention, and I put the book on his nightstand and wrung the cloth before stroking my dripping fingers along his jaw.

“Hey, I’m going to try and cool you down, okay?” I said, removing the bean bag from his abdomen.

---