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It’s after three in the morning. There’s no reason for Hayden to be calling me unless it’s an emergency. Which means something is wrong.
“Take a deep breath. Everyone’s alive,” she states as I throw back the covers, my feet landing on the hardwood floor with a thud. Looking over my shoulder to make sure I didn’t wake Eli, I find him still breathing heavily.
“That’s good to know.”
After silently slipping out of the bedroom, I close the door behind me, the sound of the latch echoing off my still bare walls. It’s only been two weeks since I’ve moved in and a week since Eli joined me. We’ve slowly been working our way through the boxes when I get back from the studio every night.
Until we get distracted.
Which happens more often than not. I’m quickly finding I like some of the advantages of living together. For starters, Eli always wakes up before me in the morning. Not because I ask him to but because that’s how he is. He makes coffee for us and has a cup waiting for me when I finally pull myself out of bed.
Secondly, I’m learning he’s a surprisingly good cook. Martha still brings over meals for us a few times a week, but Eli likes to spend time in the kitchen cooking, and I enjoy reaping the benefits. My favorite is when we cook together, though. There’s something about eating a meal you had fun crafting with another person. I swear it tastes better.
Mostly, I enjoy the naked benefits of living together. Sex on demand. No interruptions. Walking around naked after. Washing each other’s backs under the hot spray of the shower.
Or if Eli jumps in first, the mildly cold spray. Brrrr.
“Austin may have broken her ankle,” I hear Hayden say, cutting through my dirty thoughts as I stare at the closed door of the bedroom where Eli is naked beneath the sheets.
“What? How?”
“I’m not sure. All I know is they’re taking her back for an X-ray, but she hit her head hard enough that they needed consent to treat her, and I’m listed as her medical contact, so they called me.”
“Shit. What do you want to do?”
“Bang the doctor that called for starters. He sounded hot. Hotter than your man did the first time I heard his voice.”
I roll my eyes so far to the back of my head all I see is darkness. Hayden thinks everyone sounds hot over the phone. Not just Eli. This doctor is probably twice her age and balding for all she knows.
“Funny, ha ha. Seriously, Hay. What do we do? Do I need to fly up there? I’m sure I can get the time off work.”
“I’m waiting for the hot doc to call me back after she wakes up. I just wanted to let you know what was going on.”
“What was she doing this late at night that she knocked herself out and potentially broke an ankle?”
“Having hot sex, I hope. With the doctor,” Hayden quips.
Grrr.
“I get that you find humor in everything to lighten the mood, but this is serious. She’s all alone up there. I think one of us should go visit. She just moved again. I’m sure she’s not settled in her place yet, which means it’s a tragic mess. If she has to be on crutches, she’s bound to hurt herself more.”
“You’re probably right. With only a week until Christmas I can’t really take any more time off though. What if you fly up and get her, bring her home for the holidays? I’ll be there at the end of the week.”
“That’s fine. I’ll start making plans. Make sure you let the doctor know I’m on my way up there when he calls you with an update. And give me some kind of permission so I can talk with him about her care. I don’t want to have to mess up his pretty face for not keeping me in the loop,” I joke as I pull my laptop from my bag, setting it on the table in the nook.
With the phone pressed between my ear and my shoulder, I pop it open and power it up. Knowing Eli set the coffee maker to brew in a few hours, I walk over and hit the start button.
“You mess up his pretty face and we’re going to have a problem. I call dibs on the doc.”
“Don’t worry. I promise not to make a move on your man.”
“And you promise to send me a pic?”
“That I do not promise. I feel like that could get me in some kind of trouble.”
The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans permeates the air as I stare at the pot, willing it to fill faster. Reaching into the cupboard, I pull down my favorite mug—Though she may be little she is fierce—a gift from Austin. Hayden has the same one.
“So don’t get caught. Hey,” she says, sounding far away. “He’s calling me back. I’ll send you an update via text.”
