Page 49 of Petals and Plot Twists
“Got it. Understood, man. I’ll stop hitting on her so much.”
I frown. Reggie has been hitting on Sophie?
“Goodnight, Reggie,” I say as he disappears inside his apartment. I wait until I hear the sound of his window closing, then I shut Sophie’s window and make sure it’s locked.
I’m not sure how much of our conversation Sophie was able to hear, so I head back to her bedroom to tell her everything is okay.
“What was it?” she asks when I appear in her doorway.
“It was Reggie,” I say. “Trying to break into his own apartment.”
“Oh, my gosh. Stupid Reggie,” she says. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
I move over to her bed. “It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
She holds her hands up in front of her. “I’m still shaking.”
Sure enough, her hands are both trembling. I take them in mine, pressing her palms together and rubbing the backs of them. “Just breathe,” I say. “You’re safe.”
She takes another deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before she blows it out. “Logically, I know that, but…” She hesitates and clears her throat. “Geez, I don’t know why I got so worked up. That really scared me.”
“Understandably,” I say. “What do you need? What can I get you? Some water? Tea? Just name it.”
“Nothing,” she says. “But…can you just stay with me a minute? I don’t really want to be alone right now.”
“Sure,” I say, not really thinking about the implications of what this means. Because of course I’ll stay with her. I’ll give her whatever she needs.
Sophie scoots over, making room for me on her bed, and I recline into her pillows. She throws the blankets back then tugs them up and over me before nestling herself into the crook of my shoulder, her arm draped over my midsection.
I drop my arm across her back, rubbing smooth circles up and down.
“Is this weird?” Sophie says, her voice soft. “I don’t want this to be weird. I just…need an anchor right now.”
“It’s not weird,” I say. And it’s not a lie. Weird is not the word I would use for what this is right now.
Magical. Amazing. Incredible. Blissful.
Those all feel a lot more applicable thanweird.
“I’m here,” I say, trying to keep my tone gentle. “Maybe try to match your breathing with mine? It might help you relax.”
We breathe silently for a few moments before Sophie says, “I think that’s helping.”
“Really? I was pretty much shooting in the dark.”
She chuckles, and her grip around my waist tightens. “Shut up.”
“Hey, does Reggie really hit on you all the time?”
“Daily,” she says without hesitation. “But it’s harmless. I think he’s on a mission to find the most ridiculous pickup lines ever. It’s turned into a joke between us now.”
“Yeah, um, he might not do that anymore,” I say.
“Really?” Sophie yawns, which has to be a good sign. That she’s relaxed enough to feel sleepy.
“I mean, he saw me in your window, in your apartment, in the middle of the night.”
She lifts her hand and pats it against my chest. “Shirtless.”
