Page 65 of Becoming Us
An idea flickered in the back of my mind.
“Atty,” I called.
His blue eyes lifted to meet mine.
I held out my hand. “Come here a sec.”
He glanced at it, then slowly crossed over to take it. “What is it?”
I pulled him into his room and kicked off my shoes. “Take yours off,” I said when I noticed him still standing there, staring.
He hesitated but did as I asked—cautiously, like he wasn’t sure what I was doing.
“Do you have a flashlight?”
“A what?”
“Flashlight. You know, stick that lights up?” I teased.
He shrugged. “I have my phone.”
I walked over and drew the blackout shade down. “Get on the bed. Under the covers.”
“Noah…”
I yanked the comforter back when he didn’t move. “I’m not proposing anything untoward. I only asked you to take off your shoes,” I said, mock-offended.
One brow lifted, but his lips twitched.
I tilted my head, coaxing. “Trust me.” The words escaped before I could think about what they meant. My chest tightened. That was a big fucking ask coming from me.
He bit the inside of his cheek, then finally kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed.
I let out a breath and joined him, pulling the covers over our heads. “Turn on the light,” I said.
Atty reached for his phone. A soft glow filled the space. We lay on our sides, facing each other, not touching.
“So now what?” he asked, the deep rumble of his voice vibrating in my chest in our enclosed space. The scent of his cologne—or maybe his body wash—lingered around us.
“Do you hear that?”
His eyes flicked around us as if searching for the sound, and I bit my lip to keep from smiling at how cute he was.
“What?”
“It’s the sound of the whole world melting around us,” I whispered.
His eyes caught mine, his gaze as intense as ever.
“Every single thing out there just vanished, and right now, right here, under your duvet, it’s just you and me. The last two people on Earth.”
Atty shifted in his spot, but it wasn’t apprehension—his body was trying to loosen up, to relax into what I was saying.
“Nothing you say here has to follow us out there. It’s not even reallymein here with you. It’s not the Noah you’re…” I paused, taking a breath. “Dating. It’s not your shitty ex. I can just be a friend. Friendly neighborhood Noah, at your service.”
His brows drew together. “But?—”
I shook my head, rustling the sheets. “This is your safe space, Atty.”
