Page 62 of Let It Be Me
“I like watching you sleep,” he says in that lowEdward Cullenvoice.
I drop my fork onto my plate and cover my face with my hands, laughing into them. “I can’t believe you said that.”
“I also just love being with you. That’s my most favorite thing,” Riley says and my breath hitches at the word ‘love’.
I look over at him with slightly pink cheeks from that one word. Not wanting to poke the bear, I finish my food with a lightness I can’t describe. It’s different than anything I’ve felt before. This feels like more.
Riley and I put up the decorations with very little bickering. Once I found out the way he used to decorate, I straightened his order up. The balcony is the last to get decorated. We work as a team to wind and connect the garland to the railing.
“Baby, why don’t we sit out here more often?” I ask after placing the outdoor pillows on the couches. Because yes, this balcony is big enough for two love seats, a two-seater cafe table, and a fire pit.
“Because I’d much rather cuddle with you inside.” He says while tying the last bow on the garland.
“Fair point.”
The rest of the day is filled with so much holiday joy I almost get a toothache. But Riley makes the day memorable with laughter, hot chocolate, and a Home Alone marathon of one through three.
With every second spent with him, those three words that aren’t so little anymore, threaten to break free with every breath.
23
RILEY
Itoss my bag on the floor and flop on the hotel bed. Travel clothes and never-washed duvet. Gross? Most definitely. But this stretch of away games is tiring. Good news is that this is the last away game for the week.
I miss my bed.
I miss Sarah.
I miss being in my bed with Sarah.
“You were supposed to wait for me,” Logan whines when he finally makes it to our room. We’ve been roommates since last season and decided that messing with the flow wouldn’t work for either of us.
“I told you I was coming to the room. You’re the one who wouldn’t stop flirting.”
Logan shucks off his suit jacket and places it on the other bed. “Not all of us have someone waiting for us at home. I need to find a bed to keep warm.”
“Well, you better go now.”
He and everyone else knows what time curfew is. And with traveling all day, I just want to get some food and FaceTime with my girl. Logan grumbles his way into thebathroom to shower off the airplane. While he’s in there, I call down to room service to place an order for dinner of a turkey burger and sweet potato fries.
Me: Hi, baby.
Blue: Hi, handsome. How was your flight?
Me: Noisy. Logan talked my ear off.
Here’s what people don’t know about Logan. He likes to talk. A lot. Especially when you’re one of his best friends. Sure, he may be shy when you first meet him. But the all-star goalie has untapped information to tell you whether you want to hear it or not.
Speak of the chatterbox. Logan walks out of the bathroom sans towel.
“Dude!” I exclaim and look away.
“What? I’m comfortable in my nudity. You know this,” he points out. Rooming with him has shown me more of him than I care to see. He may hide away in the locker room, but that modesty ends there.
I throw a pillow over my face and listen to the telltale signs of him getting dressed.
“Okay, Theodore you can take the pillow off your face,” Logan says at the same time as a knock on the door sounds.
