Page 19 of Spring Tide

“You rubbed ...” She trails off, one brow crinkling in suspicion. “Harps, what’s going on?”

“He heard about the miscommunication with Professor Gill. Um, and then, you know, he approached me and asked if I wanted to spend some time together.”

“So you two are what?” she happily prompts, tilting her head as she peers down the hallway. “Talking now?”

“I suppose, yeah. We’re talking.”

Her eyes meet mine. “What about operation Date Nate™??”

“Oh, um, I guess it’s on pause for a little bit. I mean, I’m still gonna get to know him and whatnot.” My heartbeat kicks up a notch. I press one palm against my chest, discreetly attempting to still the thrumming. “It’s not super serious with Luca or anything.”

“I’d hope not.” She eyes me, her lips cracking into a cautious smile. “Is this, I mean, this is the first time you two are hanging out, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Wow, and he’s already falling asleep on you,” she teases, grasping my upper arm. “Who knew you were so boring, Harper.”

“Oh, please.” I shake her off, soft laughter spilling from my lips. “I’m just really good at back rubs.”

“I’d ask you to give me one, but I have a feeling your hands are gonna be tired after Luca wakes up.”

“Oh, uh, we’re not hooking up tonight.” My smile slips. I press one thumbnail against my palm, shutting out the pitter-patter of butterflies in my stomach. “I’m just gonna let him sleep, I think. Are you heading to Lai’Lani’s for the night?”

“Yeah, I’m just gonna shower, and I’ll be out of your hair. You’ll have the place to yourselves, so you might wanna reconsider the whole hookup thing.” She strolls right past me, her voice level picking up as she travels down the hall. “The Iceman could probably use a good stress reliever.”

“Shh, Stell,” I whisper-shout, following closely behind. “Don’t wake him up with all your dirty talk.”

“No, babe, that’s your job.” She winks at me, one hand perched on the doorframe to our shared bathroom.

“Stop it,” I playfully chide. “I’ll see you later.”

“Sure, sure.” Her voice drops to a whisper as she leans in closer. “By the way, I kinda like this for you. Maybe you can help defrost that frozen man in there. Spice up his life a little, if you know what I mean.”

An unwelcome flush of heat rushes from the heels of my feet all the way to the tip of my nose. Lying is already fucking impossible, and I’ve barely even begun.

“Good night, Stell.”

“Night, girly.” She perches a flat palm underneath her chin, blowing a soft kiss across the hall. “That one’s for your new man.”

I shake my head, turning to cautiously open my bedroom door. Luca’s standing at the foot of my bed now. All that teasing, those hushed whispers in the hallway, must have accidentally woken him up. He’s muttering a string of nonsense words under his breath, hastily attempting to slip back into his jeans.

His head darts up as I close the door behind me. His pants are bunched up, pulled halfway over his broad hips. When our eyes catch, the tips of his ears tinge a bright red.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” he mutters, yanking the jeans up and quickly fastening them into place.

I swallow thickly. “Oh, I, um—it looked like you could use the rest.”

“I didn’t come here to nap, Harper,” he snaps, voice sleep-drunk and raspy. “I came here for therapy. I don’t have time to just lie around in your bed.”

“Sorry, I didn’t think about it that way.” My brow furrows in confusion, eyes darting to the alarm clock on my nightstand. “I just thought you were tired and wanted to let you sleep. It’s pretty late.”

“Yeah, it’s late,” he parrots, clearly unimpressed. “And I should be home right now, not sitting here wasting time.”

I blurt out, “Lying here, you mean.”

“What?”

“Nothing,” I chirp back. “You know, you can just leave if you’d like. No need to lecture me, really.”

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