Page 74 of Long Story Short

I stand at the edge of my mattress for a few moments, just soaking in the sight of her. I don’t know how long I stand there, but eventually, I let out a long sigh before cocking my head in the direction of the bathroom.

“I’m going to get ready for bed real quick.”

Josie nods as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. “Sounds good.”

I quickly grab a fresh pair of boxer briefs from the drawer and head to the bathroom. I can’t help but smile when I notice she did, in fact, use my toothbrush. The control freak in me should probably be grossed out by it, but I’m not. I rush to get ready and leave the bathroom, finding her in the same spot I left her.

The moment I step out of the bathroom, she groans. “Are you kidding me?” she asks, her voice coming out shocked.

Her words take me by such surprise that I stop. “What’s wrong?”

Josie lifts her arms and waves them between us. “The fact that you’ve been hiding that many abs from me. Dear God, Tyson, how am I supposed to sleep next to you tonight after seeing those?”

I swear my cheeks get pink as I glance down. I hadn’t thought twice about what I wore to bed tonight, moving on autopilot. Every night, I sleep shirtless, in just my briefs. Tonight is no different.

I round the mattress before climbing into bed next to her with a smile. The mattress dips under my weight as I get comfortable, pulling the blanket up my body as well, but leaving it at my hips so she can still get a view of the abs she can’t stop admiring. “Well, hopefully, you like what you see, then.”

She lets out a loud sigh. “Oh, I do.”

A silence settles between us as her words linger in the air. There’s a little space between us, but not much.

It’s just enough for me to feel the distance. Enough to want to close it.

I turn onto my side and face her.

A second passes by.

And then another.

She stares at me before her lips twitch with the hint of a smile.

She shifts closer and closes the distance between us herself.

It’s only now that I realize she’s washed off all the makeup from her face. Her skin is clear of it, and I can’t help but think how beautiful she is. It’s hard not to picture many more moments with her just like this—crawling into bed next to her. I want it more than I should.

I slip my hand under the blanket, letting it move across the mattress until it finds hers under the covers. My fingers intertwine with hers on instinct.

“You overthinking this yet?” I ask, unable to stop myself from asking the question.

This makes Josie giggle. It’s soft, something between a sigh and a laugh. It’s incredibly adorable and does things to my chest. “Always. What about you?”

I smile before squeezing her hand. “Oh, absolutely.”

She lets out another laugh but doesn’t respond. We both soak each other in for a moment. I’m wondering if she’s just as shocked to find herself in my bed like this as I am.

Silence settles between us—but it isn’t empty.

It’s easy.

And that realization throws me. This kind of silence would not normally feel easy to me if it were with anyone else. I’m not used to easy.

“Can I ask you something?” Her question interrupts my internal psychoanalyzing.

“Of course.”

“Why me?” she fires off immediately, like she had to get the question out before she could think twice about it.

My head tilts to the side as the weight of her question sinks in.