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“Austin? Everything okay?” Her bare feet tapped against the tile.
“Sorry, Case!” Water dribbled down his chin as he wiped it away. “Was I too loud?”
She shook her head. “Eh, I’m a light sleeper.” She rubbed her eyes with two balled-up fists and joined him at the counter.
His heart flip-flopped in his chest as a shiver snaked down his spine. Heat radiated from her body as her elbow bumped into him. Austin grinned, taking in her gray tank top, neon-yellow pajama bottoms, dilapidated ponytail, and rosy cheeks.
“Sorry, I’m not used to living with anyone.” He smiled, his gaze following her hands as they lifted above her head to stuff a stray curl into the hair tie.
Her belly button appeared, and something dark blue peeked out from the waistband of her shorts. Austin inhaled, intrigue flooding his system.
“Is that a tattoo?” He smirked and pointed to her stomach.
Her hands fell, yanking down the material. “Umm... maybe.” She wrapped her arms around her body, the gesture utterly familiar as Mavis and her signature self-hug materialized before his eyes.
“What’re you watching?” Casey staggered away, dropping onto the couch in the living room. She tugged the blanket around her shoulders and wrapped herself up like a mummy.
“True Grit.” Austin plopped into the seat beside her with a sigh. “So, what’s it of?” He smiled, poking her in the rib.
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Templeton.” She giggled and tugged the blanket around her body tighter.
“Call me intrigued, Ms. McDaniels.” His gaze turned back to the TV as John Wayne won in a shootout.
She smiled and squinted, raising her brow. “You like Westerns?”
“Not really. But there’s not much on at 1 AM.” He sighed and shifted his butt, snuggling into the corner.
“So, why are we awake then?”
“Couldn’t sleep.” Austin let his head fall backward on the couch as he closed his eyes. “You know... new room... new bed.”
“You mean Mavis’s old room... old bed...” She picked at an overgrown cuticle on her index finger.
You fucking see right through me.
Austin heaved out a breath and covered his eyes with his palms. “I think I... underestimated...”
The cushion shifted beside him as sudden heat collided against his skin. His eyes popped open as Casey snuggled into the crook of his arm, her breath light and warm against his chest. She tugged the blanket from her shoulders and draped it over their laps.
“Mavis is my best friend...” she whispered.
Instinctively, his arm fell to embrace her small body. His heart hammered as a bout of adrenaline surged through his bloodstream. He breathed, relishing in the moment of sudden connection.
“But she’s fucking dumb.” Her fingers squeezed his knee beneath the blanket.
Goosebumps erupted on his skin as her breath beat against his chest.
“Why?” he whispered, wrapping a silky blonde curl around his finger.
Casey sighed. “She never could see something good right in front of her.”
He swallowed, inhaling the lilacs perfuming the air. Her soft lips pressed against his skin, sparking fire at the touch. And her kiss—innocent and sweet—built pressure around his heart, a spark fueling a flame amidst ash and rubble. A weight lifted as his soul breathed for the first time in months, warming his body as the air in his lungs caught at the back of his throat.
Austin’s hand fell, his fingers gliding along her lower back. Her breath hitched as he pinched the skin at her waist. “And what do you see, Case?” he murmured. With a single finger, he coaxed her gaze upward with a tap of her chin.
Her eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room, bright and expectant. She ran her tongue along her bottom lip as her gaze settled on his mouth.
Time. Distance. And just maybe... someone to distract me?
