Page 86 of Catching Feelings

?CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

MILES

Early mornings suck. Especially when it means leaving Rowan’s naked, warm body. I blindly reach to my right and find the bed empty and cold. Before I have time to mope, my second favorite morning scent fills the air.

Hazelnut coffee.

It was my favorite before I experienced Rowan’s sweet vanilla scent. And better yet—or at least equal to—the smell of her pussy on my face.

My eyes still closed, I smile as I picture Rowan naked—of course—in my kitchen making me coffee. Yeah. I could get used to this. If I have to get out of bed at the ass crack of dawn, there’s no better way.

The alarm on my phone rings from a distance. I don’t remember bringing it into the bedroom, but I had been distracted by Rowan’s naked body climbing me like a tree as I carried her to my bed. My lip quirks at the memory, and my dick twitches as well.

When the alarm doesn’t stop, I throw my legs over the side of the bed and zombie walk into the kitchen. I turn off the alarm and notice the coffee pot is full. Two empty mugs sit next to it, one tipped over. Empty, thankfully. I fill both cups, top hers with the creamer she likes, and venture through my apartment looking for her.

“Row?” The living room is empty. The blanket we cuddled under all day yesterday still strewn over the back of the couch.

I head down the hall to the guest bedroom. Not that I’d ever let her sleep away from me, but maybe she’s using that bathroom to not wake me. Although, she knew I had to get up at six.

“Rowan? Baby?” I duck my head into the ensuite bathroom and find it empty too. Not a trace of her anywhere.

When my sister was here yesterday, Rowan picked up her clothes from the kitchen floor and folded them, putting them on the end table. They’re gone now, as is her purse that was sitting on the counter all weekend. Maybe she went out to get us breakfast. She’s sweet like that, my Rowan.

I pick up my cell to call her and notice a bunch of unread messages. It’s the most recent two that stop my heart.

Elizabeth77:Have a good week.

Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck. “Fuck!” I shout. I open the Friends to Lovers app I haven’t logged into since Rowan and I became a thing.

The message right before is long. My breathing is labored as if I ran sprints up and down the football field as I read it.

Elizabeth77:Adam. I want to start by thanking you for being a good friend. You’ve listened to me dozens of times over the past few months and helped me sort out my mess of feelings. While I still have a long way to go before being comfortable with a man like I’ve been with you, you’ve given me confidence I never would have felt otherwise.

I trusted you with my innermost thoughts, and you never judged me. Thank you for that.

Thank you for keeping my thoughts, worries, and fears to yourself. Well, even if you had shared them, you don’t know who I am, and that was why I could be so open with you.

Thank you for listening when I felt I had no one else to turn to.

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