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I clutched my heart like he’d just tossed something at it. “Youwoundme, Casey.”
We waited for the cinnamon rolls to heat up and chatted about normal things, like any friends would. He told me about his Christmas day with his family, and I told him all of the little traditions I usually had with Justin at this time of year. When it was time to tuck into the rolls, I had a small cup of coffee and Casey had a little whiskey, and he confirmed that they were one of the best sweets he’d ever had.
“So you said you always watch Die Hard,” Casey said a half an hour later, leaning back in his chair and looking over at me. “Let’s do it.”
“We don’t have to do that,” I said. “I’m sure you want to go on home.”
Casey shrugged. “All I have waiting for me at home is being alone, andmykitchen is still under renovation anyway. I’d love to watch Die Hard, if you want to.”
There’s nothing else I’d rather do,I thought.
“Fine,” I said.
Casey snorted. “Don’t act too excited about it.”
I got up from my chair, trying to bite back a smile. “Iamtoo excited about it. I thought I was just going to pass out early tonight, and now I get to hang out with you and watch Bruce Willis be a badass.”
Casey liked my living room as much as he’d liked the kitchen, asking a million little questions about all of the pictures on the wall and books on my shelves. I popped Die Hard on the TV, I tossed Casey a big blanket, and we settled in on the couch.
I made sure to sit a good distance away from him on the couch. I was hyper-aware of his proximity to me anyway, perpetually drawn to him like some forbidden magnet. But as we kept watching, Casey shifted a few times, each time ending up closer and closer to me.
I couldn’t stop looking his way. I tried to focus on the movie I’d seen a hundred times before, but it was no use.
And when Casey finally nudged over my way just enough, gently resting the side of his body against mine, my heart went into overdrive.
“Casey?” I said softly, shifting to face him.
I saw that he was drifting off to sleep. His eyes blinked slowly as he looked up at me.
“Mmm,” he hummed, clearly only half awake. He snuggled up against the side of me even closer, and I felt like my heart was about to burst. “Sorry,” he murmured.
“Don’t apologize,” I told him in a low whisper. I pulled in a slow breath and reached for his blanket, bringing it over and covering both of us with it.
I relented.
I let myself pull him in against my body, holding him like he belonged here.
“You feel so good,” he said softly, his voice heavy with sleep.
“You feel good to me, too, Casey,” I told him, giving him a squeeze. I leaned down, pressing a few kisses to his hair. My heart was still pounding in my chest. I wanted this, and so much more. I knew I might fuckingregretthis, too, sometime later when he was gone and I was left with my own thoughts.
But I couldn’t care right now. He felt perfect against me. Warm, cozy, and what I’d wanted for far too long.
I held him there, thinking about everything and nothing as he drifted off. I thought I’d be awake for hours, but a handful of minutes later I found myself way too comfortable too, dozing against him.
The only thing that woke me, hours later, was the sound of the front door opening.
A sound that never should have happened—at the front door thatno oneshould have been coming in.
11
CASEY
I woke to the sound of Rome gasping, and when I lifted my head, I saw why.
“Fuck,” Rome cursed as we looked up, bleary-eyed, to see Justin standing in the front entryway.
“I—whoa,” Justin said.
