Page 25 of Before You
I flip the air conditioning off so Marley doesn’t get cold, but there’s not much I can do about the hard top being off. She gasps as I turn the car on, contorting herself into an awkward position so she’s not sitting directly on the seat. “I’m getting your seat wet. Fuck, I’m so sorry,” she apologizes, and I pull her back down into the seat.
“I don’t care. Do you have any idea how many times these seats have been rained on because I forgot to put the top on? They’ll be fine,” I reassure Marley.
I tap my fingers restlessly against the steering wheel, sniffling as my nose runs.How long has it been since I’ve taken a pill?I can feel my knee start to ache, and it’s only a matter of time before the ache turns into a sharp throb I can’t ignore. After I’ve parked in her building’s lot, I reach into my center console for the small bottle I keep for emergencies. Marley climbs out of the car first, and I grab a pill, swallowing it back with a swig of my water.
“What are you doing?” she asks, peering at me.
“I can feel a headache coming on so I took some meds to help,” I explain, flashing her an easy smile as my heart pounds in my chest.
“Oh, well I had some Tylenol inside I could have given you.”
“No worries. I usually keep some stuff in my car, but thanks. You should head inside so you can change,” I suggest, hoping she doesn’t ask more questions because I don’t have answers for her.
Marley laughs, looking down at her clothes, before cocking her head as she looks at me. “Are you not coming in? I’ll be quick, I promise.”
The only thing I have waiting for me at home is statistics, and I’d much rather hang out with Marley. “Are you sure it’s fine?” I ask, scratching the back of my neck.
“Considering it’s my apartment, and I’m inviting you in, yeah. I think it’s fine,” she says, and I follow along after her up the stairs. “I don’t think Bria’s here. She said something this morning about going out with some of her teammates after practice.”
“Damn, I was actually only here to see her,” I tease, trying not to let Marley know how fucking nervous I am right now.
Marley shakes her head, pulling a key out of her pocket to unlock the door. “Shut up, JJ,” she says, motioning to the couch. “I’m going to change quick. You’re welcome to sit anywhere, but the couch is super comfy.”
Unlike Marley, I was able to keep my clothes fairly dry, except for when she started splashing me, and the breeze combined with the heat outside was enough to finish drying them on the way here. I sit down on the couch watching her disappear through a door in the back of the apartment.
“Your place is nice,” I say, loudly enough for Marley to hear through her shut door. The decor fits her personality: simple, but tasteful.
“Thanks. My mom and Bria’s had a blast picking everything out,” she calls back.
I hear the opening of a door, and I turn to see Marley poking her head around the door. “Okay, I’m so sorry, but I have an odd question?”
“What’s up?” I ask, leaning forward onto my knees.
“Do you mind if I take a quick shower to rinse off? I’m so sorry, I just feel gross, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I don’t have to,” she says quickly, and I can feel my heartbeat quicken in my chest. I should leave because this is a bad idea.
Is it what comes out of my mouth?Nope. I finally understand why it took Mirabelle so damn long to tell Henry how she felt about him. This is fucking terrifying, but I’m willing to take the pieces I can of Marley.
“Not a problem. It makes sense—you did take an unexpected swim.”
“Thanks, I’ll be out in a minute! You can put a movie on if you want, and help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” She smiles in relief, and I know I’m torturing myself. I nod, unable to form words, and I grab the remote to distract myself, but my thoughts are all over the place right now.
I hear the shower turn on, and all I can picture is Marley undressing, and what it would feel like to touch the soft curves of her body. My cock stiffens in my pants, and I know how wrong it is, but apparently my brain isn’t getting the same memo.
I’d love to memorize every part of her body, treating Marley the way she deserves.
She’s the best damn thing to ever happen to me. Trent deserves to rot in hell, because how dare he make her second guess herself? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out Marley was talking about him earlier, and I’m a fucking coward for not telling her the truth. I can admit it’s partially for my own selfish reasons because I think a part of me knows once she finds out, she’ll want nothing to do with any of us.
The irony isn’t lost on me the only reason Bailey calls and checks in with me is because I’m the only one who never lied to him. While everyone else kept things from him, I wasn’t one of them.
How can I claim to love Marley when I’m not being honest with her?
If I ask him to, I know Asher would have my back, but I need to talk to him first before I do anything. I need proof if Marley doesn’t believe me, and I’d rather not be scrambling for it when I tell her.
I pull out my phone, shooting her a quick text to let her know I had to run home quick, but I can come back later.
I feel like an asshole for letting Marley know I’m leaving in a text, but I have to do the right thing, even if it erases any hope of a future for us.
Driving back to my house feels like forever, but the anxiety in my stomach only grows when my phone buzzes with a text from Marley, asking if everything is okay. I shove the phone in my pocket, ignoring it as I walk by my roommates’ cars.Great, everyone is home.
