“Should I bring Beary?” Emily asks, nudging me with her elbow.
“Up to you.”
“Nah, I’ll leave him here. He’ll guard the place,” she says with a laugh.
We leave her apartment and start riding over to my place. The feeling of her arms wrapped around me as she sits behind me on my bike sparks feelings in me that I force myself to ignore. We pass by the bar along the way, and I reflexively give it a protective glance. There isn’t much crime in our small town, but I can’t help but feel overprotective of our business. I know how easy it is for things to go wrong. Businesses fail, parents divorce, water pipes burst. Some people may think I’m too pessimistic, but when it comes to the bar, it’s not just myself I’m thinking of. It belongs just as much to Em as it does to me. I know she comes from a family that has money and she could get financial help from them if she needed to, but I never want her to be forced into that situation if I can help it.
We reach my apartment building and I park in my usual spot. I grab the travel bag she packed and carry it. We walk up the stairwell and I unlock my apartment door. My place is in its usual tidy state.
But of course Emily immediately zones in on the one thing that needs attention.
“Aw, Rock, your poor plant!” Emily says, making a beeline for the plant in question—the only one I own. Its leaves are drooping and it’s obviously thirsty. I feel a pang of guilt sinceEm was the one who got me that plant. She bought it for me last Christmas, declaring that I needed to own something that wasn’t black or gray.
I didn’t mean to neglect it. I’m just not good at caring for stuff like that.
Emily slips off her shoes as she scoops the plant into her arms and carries it into my kitchen. When I hear her talking to the plant, I shake my head. Of course she’d talk to a plant. She’s always been attentive like that.
I carry Emily’s bag into my bedroom and set it by the side of the bed. I grab one of the two pillows from my bed and an extra blanket and carry it all out to the couch, where I’ll be sleeping while Emily stays with me.
“This is perfect, thanks,” Emily says, drying her hands on her hips as she comes out of the kitchen and meets me by the couch.
I shake my head. “I’m sleeping here, not you.”
“What? No. I told you I’m not taking your bed.”
“Em, this isn’t up for discussion.”
She sits down on the couch and looks up at me defiantly. “You’re right. It isn’t.”
I sigh. Why is she being so fucking stubborn? There’s no way I’m letting her sleep on the couch.
But if she’s going to be stubborn, I can be stubborn right back. I sit down, claiming the space, and throw my legs over her lap. With a yawn, I say, “All right. Goodnight.”
“Rock!” She squeals as she struggles to escape from beneath my legs. She’s strong but our size difference is too much for her.“God. Fine. I’ll take your bed!” She huffs out a breath, then smiles at me. “Thanks for letting me crash here.”
“Thanks for saving my plant from imminent death.”
She laughs and nudges my foot gently before heading toward my bedroom. “Anytime.”
Why the hell is she up already? Does she not like sleep?
I crack open an eye, groaning at the sound of hearing my shower running. It’s way too fucking early for someone who went to bed at three to be up already. I grab my phone, confirm the early hour, and toss my phone aside. Fuuuck. I need atleastanother hour of sleep.
I shut my eyes again, but sleep doesn’t come. I knew that would be the case. I can never fall back asleep once I’m awake. It might be because as a kid I used to wake up to the sound of my parents yelling at each other. Or it might just be an annoying trait of mine. Doesn’t matter. The reason for it doesn’t change the fact that it’s the way I am.
The shower water shuts off and I hear her moving around in the bathroom, then the door pops open and she walks out. I don’t mean to look at her but she’s right there in my sight line, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her naked body and another one twisted up around her hair. As close of friends as we are, it’s not a sight I’m used to. Em’s skin is all glowy and pink from the shower. The sight of her nudges something deep in my gut.
At least she doesn’t see me looking at her. Without a glance in my direction, she heads back into my bedroom and closes the door. A few minutes later she comes out again and tries to pad quietly past the back of the couch.
“I’m awake,” I grumble.
She smiles sweetly at me over the back of the couch. A smile like that always chips away at my grouchiness. “Hey. Good morning. Shoot, I’m sorry, Rock. Did I wake you?”
“You always get up this early?” I ask.
“Usually. But I also wanted to cook breakfast for you. How do omelettes sound?”
“They sound fine.” I pull myself up off the couch and stand to my full height. “Just try to keep the shell out of mine.”
