He drops down, flattening himself against the carpet the second before my door opens.
I’m still fully clothed, laying on top of my comforter, but I pretend like I’ve been sleeping, and like she just startled me awake.
“Oh, hi Grandma,” I say, faking a yawn. I look around my room as if I’m in a sleepy daze. “I’m so tired, I guess I fell asleep.”
Grandma stands in my doorway, her hand on the doorknob.Please don’t step inside.“You feeling better?”
I nod, probably a little too eagerly, but she doesn’t notice. “Great,” she says, giving me a smile. “I won three hundred bucks at bingo tonight!”
“That’s awesome,” I say.
“You want to have a midnight snack with me?” Any other time I would say yes, both because I’m obsessed with eating and I never like to disappoint Grandma. But this time is different. I shake my head. “I think I’ll just go to bed. I’m pretty tired.”
“Okay, well goodnight honey.”
“Goodnight.”
My heart pounds as I watch her slowly pull my door closed. I listen carefully for her footsteps retreating into the kitchen and then I launch off my bed and twist the door lock.
“Oh my God,” I murmur as I walk back to my bed. I step around the other side and motion for Josh to get up, even though he’s on his back and I kind of want to crawl on top of him and make out secretly on the floor.
“All clear?” he asks, sitting up.
I nod. “That was terrifying.”
“All before our first date,” he says with an evil grin.
“You might have to stay here until she goes to sleep so I can sneak you out,” I say, sitting on the end of my bed. He joins me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he whispers into my ear.
“I don’t want to take up too much of your time,” I say, letting my fingers slide into his. “Don’t you have work tomorrow?”
He shrugs, tugging me closer to him. “I can never get enough time with you.”
I rest my head against his shoulder and we sit like this for a few minutes, but soon that fluttery feeling in my stomach rises up again, and I’m pretty sure he feels it, too.
I stand, just to put some space between us, hoping all of these hormones will cool off.
Josh just sits there on the edge of my bed, his eyes peering up at me in this mischievous way that makes my knees weak. “Come here,” he says, curling his finger toward me.
I take a step closer, then again until I’m standing in between his outstretched legs. “Come here,” he says again.
“I am here,” I say, peering down at him.
He shakes his head, reaches up, and grabs my hips. “You could be closer.”
With one swift motion, he pulls me toward him and suddenly I’m way too close. My big gross belly is just inches from his face and he peers up, pressing a kiss to my left breast on top of my shirt. I am suddenly very aware of his hands on my body, his thumbs on top of my side fat, his face just inches from my boobs, which might be okay for a guy to look at, but they’re sitting right on top of my gross stomach.
I flinch and step backward, pulling out of his grasp. “You should go,” I say, letting out a ragged breath.
That concerned look comes back on his face. “Is everything okay?”
I nod. “Just don’t want you to stop liking me,” I say lightheartedly. That’s clearly the wrong thing to say because he frowns.
“Bess, that’s impossible.”
I shrug. “You should go, though. I don’t want to risk getting caught. My window opens and there’s no screen so maybe you can sneak out that way.”
