Page 81 of I Never Stopped Loving You

“Who’s that?” I hear Jeremy’s voice in the background before his face appears over her shoulder, and he’s staring at me wide-eyed. “Uh…Sup, Cuz?”

“So where is she?” Jenna demands.

“Asleep. I wasn’t lying. Our Uber took too long to get to the restaurant, and she may have had an Amaretto sour and four shots of Liquid Marijuana.”

“Yup. That’ll do it. That girl is a fucking lightweight. Do you need me to come get her?” Jenna asks as she swats Jeremy’s face away.

He started kissing her shoulder, and apparently, that wasn’t allowed. He looks absolutely love-struck by this woman, but who am I to judge?

“No. It’s okay. I was just going to grab her a bottle of water and a protein bar to have next to the bed in case she wakes up. I’ll be sleeping on the couch. Don’t worry, your bestie is safe with me.”

“Fine. Text me from your phone so I have your number in case I need to check in…Please.”

I hate giving out my number, and I hate even more being ordered around by someone who’s more than half a foot shorter than me, but I can’t even be mad. She’s just protecting her best friend.

I pull out my phone and type in her number before sending her the middle finger emoji. I hear the ding of a message on her phone before I see her smile at the emoji.

“Love you too. Now go get her the stuff. In the morning, make scrambled eggs, white toast smothered in butter and jelly, and sausage or bacon. Either will do.”

“Cheese in the eggs?”

“Um, of course! Are you a heathen who doesn’t put cheese in their eggs?”

“Jeremy doesn’t. He’s slightly lactose intolerant.”

“Thanks for that, Cuz,” Jeremy says as he glares at me through the phone.

“Okay. Just please take care of her. That breakfast will help her hangover. Trust me, it’s our go-to meal after drinking. Oh, and I hope to God you have good coffee. Otherwise, you can kiss her ass goodbye. Just kidding, but seriously, take care of her.”

“I will. You two have fun.” I wink at her, and I swear I see her blush before swatting at something he’s doing to her off-camera.

“Night, Cuz. See you tomorrow. I’ll text before coming over in case you’re having second breakfast.”

“Second break…Oh. Fuck off, Remy.”

“Remy? That’s such a cute name.”

“Again, thanks a lot, Noel,” I hear him grumble before the FaceTime suddenly ends.

I guess bringing Jeremy tonight was the best idea ever. Even if she hadn’t texted me asking to come out and bring a friend for Jenna, I was still going to that bar either way.

I walk quietly back in, lock her phone, then place it on my nightstand charger. I need to go grab a few things for her before I go to sleep. I pull the blanket up to her neck and kiss her on the forehead before heading back downstairs.

I double-check what I have to make her for breakfast in the morning and order the rest to be delivered when we wake up. I have about four different coffee blends and some syrups, so I think I’m covered there. I grab a water bottle and a protein bar before heading back upstairs to the room.

When I step back up to her side of the bed, she shifts. I quickly set down the water bottle and bar before taking a step back. Her eyes don’t open. She just rolls onto her side before mumbling something and rolling the other way, now facing my side of the bed.

Is it totally creepy of me to want to just lie here and watch her sleep?

Fuck it.

I kick off my shoes and socks, then let my clothes drop, leaving me in nothing but a pair of boxers. I grab a T-shirt and pull it over my head, just in case she does wake up and sees me. I don’t want her to freak out.

I lay down on top of the blankets so I don’t get too comfortable and risk falling asleep next to her. I have a feeling she’d wake up swinging if she were startled awake.

I rest my head on the pillow, so close that I can feel her soft, warm breath caressing my face. It smells fruity like that drink she had. God, I hope she’s not too hungover in the morning.

A few strands of her hair have fallen in front of her face, so I very slowly reach to brush them aside. I let my knuckles caress down the side of her cheek as I stare at her. She’s so fucking beautiful. She’s honestly the most stunning woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.