Page 41 of Give Me Forever

"Am I the only one who's got a hammering headache? How did you even have the energy to go running?"

"I had a headache too. Decided to literally walk it off."

That was when I realized he was holding a glass with a yellow drink. He set it on the nightstand next to me.

"It will help with the headache and any nausea. It's got a lot of ginger. I went out this morning and bought all the ingredients."

"You had one too?"

"Yeah, it really helped.”

“Oh my God. This is the hangover cure your mom never knew about, right?"

He nodded. "You've got a good memory."

Back in high school, he told me his grandmother prepped him and his brothers this drink whenever they came home from a party. She’d never told her daughter-in-law they were hungover, just that they needed a tonic.

After I drank it, I finally pushed myself up from bed. Sam was looking at me intently, as if he expected me to tumble any second.

"No, my balance is quite good," I assured him.

"Great. Then I'm going to wait for you in the living room with breakfast."

I jerked my head back. "You made breakfast?"

"Sure. It's my day off. Why not?"

"I don't know. I figured you'd have stuff to do."

"I have plenty to do later, but I thought I'd start the day by having breakfast with you." There was a playful glint in his eyes.

What exactly happened last night?Then I remembered the naked dance.My God, I've only been living with this man for two weeks and he's already seen me naked.

After he left, I changed into a dress and quickly brushed my teeth. I was going to shower after he headed out for the day; I didn't want to leave him waiting. My hair was a mess, so I just gathered it up in a ponytail and called it a day.

When I came out into the living room, wafts of delicious aromas surrounded me. My stomach was rumbling. That drink was truly magic, because only a couple minutes before, I thought my head would hurt the whole day and I'd have no appetite. Neither of those things could be further from the truth now.

To be fair, I probably would've gotten a hell of an appetite just from seeing Sam in the kitchen. He looked surreal in his white T-shirt and jeans, like he didn't belong there at all. Then again, I didn't think he belonged in a hospital either. Those scrubs covered up far too much. He should be on the cover of magazines and on posters. In high school, I secretly thought he might become a movie star or something. He certainly had the looks—his vivid blue eyes contrasted beautifully with his dark hair, and his tanned complexion made his eyes pop. But he'd followed his heart and became a doctor.

I headed straight to the kitchen island. The second I put my hands on the cool granite counter, memories from last night flooded me.Oh my God.I remembered us standing near the sink. I'd gulped down water and confessed all my deepest secrets.

Had I imagined that? It could be. Over the years, I’d often wondered what I would do if I saw Sam again. If I’d tell him why I left him high and dry and seemingly never looked back. His mouth had been so close to my ear and my cheek. Instantly, I remembered the burning feeling on my skin where his lips grazed me. I definitely hadn't imagined that.

I swallowed hard, trying to sort through the memories and decide what had actually happened.

"What are you thinking about?" He'd taken his focus off the pan and was staring at me.

"Deciding if I should try what you're cooking or not," I said. "I don't want to risk food poisoning. Though I hardly think you can do that with sunny-side ups."

He flashed me a panty-melting smile. My pajama bottoms nearly fell to the floor all by themselves. "Hey, I ate your salad. It's an unspoken rule between roommates to eat each other's cooking."

My body buzzed from his words. He hadn't even meant it as an innuendo—or had he? I was still so busy trying to discern what happened last night that I couldn't focus on what was going on right now.

He glanced at my cheeks, and I realized I was blushing.Well, this day is off to a good start.

“What’s that look for?”

"I don't know. I'm just lost in thought," I said, trying to regain my faculties. I swallowed hard, taking in his body language.

---