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Sidelined 7
Addison
Eric tucks me against his side as I crawl back into bed, planting a chaste kiss to the top of my head. Then he turns on the TV.
“What are you doing?” I ask as he scrolls through the guide, stopping on the Hallmark Channel.
“Watching a movie.”
“You know the rom-com thing is just an excuse to keep you guys out of my business. I don’t actually watch them.” I feel my panic rising. I cannot physically sit still when I see PDA overload. I fidget and squirm and hide my face and do all of the completely un-feminine things that I don’t want Eric to see.
“Neither do I, but I’ll sit through one to prove I’d do anything for you.” He kisses my forehead.
“Can’t you do something else to prove that?” I push away from his side and pull my knees to my chest, hiding my face so he can’t see that I’m starting to blush.
“I can do lots of things, but I might as well start with this one.” I hear him smiling, like he’s getting a kick out of this.
“Why this one?” I say into my lap.
He leans forward and lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Because if you can sit through this in spite of the way you’re freaking out right now, that just might mean you’d do anything for me, too.” He plants a tender kiss on my lips and leans us both back against the headboard, leaving me no choice but to look at the screen. Resigned to my fate, I try my best to tune out the voices and focus on the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest so I don’t fidget.
When I wake the next morning, it’s with my back pressed to his chest, his arm draped over my waist. I try to lift the dead weight off me without waking him, but stealth is not my forte.
“I guess technically you sat through the movie, even if you snored through most of it, but sneaking out of bed doesn’t make me feel too good about where I stand with you.” His deep voice rumbles from behind me.
“It’s not sneaking if I was planning to come back.”
“Were you?” His arm constricts around my waist.
“Maybe. Probably. I liked sleeping next to you.” I run my finger over the hand resting on my stomach, enjoying how it feels to have his warm body next to mine. How it felt to have him inside me.
Eric props himself on an elbow to see me. “Really?”
“Yes.” I roll over so we’re facing each other.
“I liked it, too. Best sleep I’ve had in years.” He leans in for a soft, brief kiss. “Want some breakfast?”
“I should probably get back.” I don’t want to ruin the moment by mentioning my brother, even though we both know that’s the reason I’m leaving.
“When will I see you again?”
Trapping my lip with my teeth, I contemplate the best way to answer. The part of me that’s pined for Eric the last few years wants to say tonight. The part of me that convinced myself this would never happen is still having trouble believing it has and doesn’t want to rush into something that could break my heart.
Seeming to read my thoughts, Eric gives me an out. “Why don’t you text me?”
“Yeah. Okay.” I nod with a shy smile.
Eric sends me off with a kiss that nearly has me crawling back to bed and jumbles my brain for about half my walk home. Then the doubt sets it. Even if tiny blondes aren’t really his type, has he seriously had a thing for me for years? In theory, it’s possible, I’ve felt that way about him, but I didn’t try to hide my feelings between anyone else’s legs. It’s that little detail that keeps my fingers from dialing his number.
Two days later, I come out of the practice facility to find Eric’s broad shoulders poking out from behind a tree. My heart goes haywire, wondering if he’s here because he missed me or he’s mad at me.
“That tree isn’t big enough to camouflage you.” I go for teasing instead of serious, hoping that will set the tone.
“Who said I was hiding?”
“The tree.” I borrow his cheeky comeback from the other night. “Otherwise, you’d be standing in front of it. Or waiting by the door.”
“Maybe I like the shade.”
