AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Fifteen
Teagan
I pushed open the door of my apartment and shivered, searching for the sweatshirt I’d stolen from Silas that I kept near the door.
“It’s freezing in here,” he said, walking in behind me and rubbing his arms. “What’s up with your heat?”
“I’m trying to save as much on utilities as I can before I leave,” I said, pulling on the sweatshirt, the familiar weight and softness surrounding me. “And it’s not usually this cold.” I glanced around my one-bedroom apartment. The benefit of living near campus was that it wasn’t hard to find someone to sublease it while I was abroad. A math major who would be returning from her own study abroad trip needed something furnished for the remainder of the year. I loved that cramped little home, though—it had been my first place all on my own—no roommates, no parents, just Silas visiting and the occasional Tinder date coming home with me.
“You know, I might want that back someday.” Silas plopped down on my love seat and motioned to the sweatshirt.
“I think the statute of limitations has passed.” I tossed him a fleece blanket from the arm of the couch. “It wouldn’t fit you anymore, anyway.” I hadn’t planned to let my gaze drop from his face to his now well-developed chest and arms. It wasn’t usually what I was attracted to, but on Silas it worked, not that I hadn’t liked how he looked before.
“I’m taking something of yours, then.” He looked around and I grinned at his assessment. “This blanket,” he finally said. “It’s mine now until you return the sweatshirt.”
“Okay,” I said, taking the short walk to the kitchen and pulling two beers from the fridge. Silas, despite all his laid-back qualities, was a beer snob, and I had a couple of bottles of his favorite microbrew still in my fridge.
“Why did you give in to that so quickly?” He had the blanket over him. It really was cold in the apartment.
“I stole that from you, too.” I settled on the arm of the love seat, taking a drink after I handed him his beer. “You let me use it during a camping trip and it ended up going home with me.” I’d kind of forgotten about that until he mentioned it.
“Teag... I’m concerned you’re in this friendship solely to steal from me.” His neck stretched when he took a drink from his own bottle, and I watched his throat work like a creeper. He had a nice throat.
“Oh, I am. No doubt.” I set my bottle aside on the end table and rubbed my upper arms to generate heat. “That and to get help with solving mysteries. Was that not clear before?”
“I feel so used.” He eyed my movements and then lifted the fleece fabric. “C’mon, get under the blanket with me. You’re shivering. Can I Venmo you some money so you will turn your actual heat on?”
I slid down the arm of the couch and under the blanket with him, the heat from his body already warming the space under the thick fabric where our bodies were pressed together. That had happened thousands of times in our friendship and it shouldn’t have meant anything, but I had an inkling of a feeling and I pushed it back. “Nah, no need for Venmo. I’ll just take it from your wallet.” I nudged my shoulder against his and his arm fell around me, again, like it had a hundred times before.
“So,” he said, pulling his phone from under the blanket. He thumbed to a photo of the list we’d made. “Looks like our leads are coming up as dead ends.” I leaned against his arm and looked at the list. Silas’s biceps were solid against my cheek.
“Well, not total dead ends. Julianna laughed at me, but the baristas seem happy together, and Jess seemed.... really happy.” My face heated thinking about our conversation in the car about Jess and her ex-husband. We talked about everything, but I’d tried to back off on sexy things since he got serious with Erin.
“True,” he said, zooming in on the list, “but no closer to finding the owner of this.”
“Maybe—” I paused when a notification flashed over the screen and we both stared at it.
Erin:Thanks! I’ll be by later tonight.
He dismissed it quickly, but I pulled out from under his arm, suddenly aware this was too close, no matter how familiar it felt.
“Do you want something to eat?” I walked back into the kitchen, eager for some excuse to step away from my very attached friend.
“No, thanks.” He was still looking at his phone. “Maybe Ada and Sam? You said he comes into the shop sometimes, right?”
I opened the fridge—there wasn’t much in it besides eggs, whipped cream, cheese, some questionable cold cuts, and beer. “Yeah, we could look into that. Will you go on another fact-finding mission with me?”
He looked up, pinning me with his brown eyes and raised eyebrow. “Do I have a choice?”
“No.” I settled back on the arm of the couch and Silas eyed me curiously.
“Do you want back under here?”
“Nah. That’s okay.” I stuffed my hands into the hoodie’s front pocket. “When is Erin coming over? Do you need to get out of here?”
He glanced back at his phone. “Uh, I have a little time.”
I nodded and reached for my beer. “So, she’s back in town? I bet it will be nice to see her again!” I was going for positive, but I’d veered a little far into maniacally peppy.
