Page 65 of Stuck with my Guarded MVP
I didn’t move. Neither did he.
I took a deep breath.
This is what it feels like to be held.
His breath tickled the top of my head, warm and quiet. I could smell him, soap and something clean and crisp and hard to define.
I stayed perfectly still, afraid that if I moved, I’d break whatever was happening. Or admit that I didn’t want it to stop.
I reached for the silverware, remembering how Liam had set the table last time. Side by side, not across from each other. Kind of intimate. But he’d done it, so that's what I will do.
My hands paused for a second before I placed the plates.
I noticed the soft flick of a flame. Liam was lighting candles. Two of them.
Do roommates light candles?
I took my seat, the candlelight casting a soft glow across the risotto.
Fork, plate, bite. Easy.
Except the moment I lifted my fork, I could feel it, him. Watching me.
I looked up.
Liam was leaning on his elbow, just... looking at me.
Not in a weird way.
In away.
I blinked, realizing I’d been staring right back.
Okay, say something. This silence is awkward.
I lifted my fork a little. “It was kind of nice nuking dinner in a judgment-free zone.”
He smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
Did I say the wrong thing?
I stabbed another bite. “But I did miss this.”
And I don’t just mean your cooking.
The risotto was perfect. Creamy, warm, and laced with just enough lemon to cut through the richness. I made a small, involuntary sound as I chewed, half pleasure, half surprise.
Liam didn’t say anything, but when I glanced over, he was still looking at me.
I ducked my head and kept eating.
He told me about a teammate who nearly missed the team bus because he couldn’t find his shoe. I asked how that was even possible, and he just shrugged like it was normal hockey chaos.
I laughed, watching his mouth move as he talked, just a little too intently.
Then came the protein powder tangent.
“You’re kidding,” I said, wrinkling my nose. “Two hundred grams a day?”
