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“Hey, Lovey? Don’t fall back asleep.”
She raises an arm. “I’m up, I’m up.”
“I’ll catch you later.”
She gives me the thumbs-up, and I pad downstairs and find Winter standing in front of the open fridge. She’s wearing a pair of running shorts—the kind that only covers the most important parts—and a sports bra. She’s all muscle and curves. Strong. Sexy. And a little more than twenty-four hours ago, we had sex. Great sex. Marathon sex. Thinking about that isn’t helpful, particularly since morning wood is a thing and I’m wearing a pair of basketball shorts.
She pulls a container of pulpy orange juice from the door. For the first week she was here, she would only take food if it was on the counter, which means fruit from the bowl Mom always keeps filled, or baked goods like muffins that Dad would leave out. When I realized what was happening, I put out a bowl of energy and granola bars to test the theory. She’s more comfortable now, but sometimes the number of choices overwhelms her.
I clear the gravel from my throat. “Hey.”
Winter nearly fumbles the juice but recovers. “You scared the hell out of me.” She sets the jug on the counter.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You okay?”
“Yeah. Woke up to use the bathroom and my mind turned on and wouldn’t shut up again.” She taps her temple. “I passed out on you last night, didn’t I?”
I round the counter and stop in front of her. “We didn’t get a whole lot of rest the night before, and you’ve had a lot thrown at you in the past twenty-four hours. I figured you needed the sleep. I tucked you in, though.”
“I still can’t believe I’m going to college in a few weeks. I feel like I’m living someone else’s life.”
“It’ll probably take time to get used to, huh?” Her hair is down, falling in loose waves over her shoulders. I twirl a lock around my finger.
She nods. “I’m over here waiting for the axe to fall. Like, until I’m actually in Chicago, none of this is real.”
“Did you get any closer to a decision about where you want to live? Lovey told me Rose was pretty Team Waters’ House.”
Winter laughs and rolls her eyes. “She made a spreadsheet, and I’m sure you wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to find the list leaned heavily to the live-with-Lovey-Lacey-and-River side.”
“It’s okay if that’s not what you want, though.”
“I know, but it makes the most sense. They’re already my friends, I’m comfortable with them, and financially, it’s the best move.”
“Lovey and Lacey are super responsible, and so is River.”
“Yeah, I can see that about the twins. There’s so much to think about. I’ve never taken a full course load, so that’ll be new. And I’ve never lived with anyone but my parents, so that’s freedom I haven’t experienced before. I don’t want to be one of those girls who goes to college and flunks out the first semester because I fell down a party rabbit hole.”
“You’re not really a huge partier, though, are you?”
She traces a petal of the lily on the back of my hand. “I don’t think so, but I’ve also never had the chance. I don’t feel like I’d intentionally do something stupid, but I’ve been going to those support meetings for battered women with my mom, and they talk about how hard it can be to break up with the abuse. The part that scares me is that I get what they mean. Look how I reacted yesterday when your mom caught us upstairs. The things my dad would have said if that had happened in my house…” She shakes her head. “The farther removed I get from it, the more I realize how toxic my home was. I’m scared I’ll do something to fuck all this up.”
“Are you worried you’ll make it a self-fulfilling prophecy?” I settle a hand on her waist.
“Maybe?” She shrugs. “I’m so accustomed to being stressed out, I don’t know how not to be.”
“I get that your natural state is worry, and telling you to stop is probably pointless, but how does stressing about the things you can’t control help you?” I release the lock of hair, letting it unfurl.
She gives me a wry smile. “It doesn’t.”
“I could take your mind off it for a little while, though.” She doesn’t start work until seven. We have plenty of time.
She glances at the clock on the stove. “Won’t your parents be up soon?”
“We have over half an hour. That’s more than enough time.” I waggle my brows. “It’s way better than starting your day in Worry World, don’t you think?”
Her hands slide around my waist and down my back. I drop my mouth to her ear. “I can’t stop thinking about the way you feel, Snowflake.” I skim along her spine until I reach her lower back and press my hips forward, my erection nudging her stomach. “I just want to make you feel good.”
She exhales an unsteady breath.
