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My eyes already feel heavy. After orgasming like that, I could use a nap, and I can think of nowhere better than his arms for it. My heart swells as he reaches to pull a blanket over the two of us, and I take the gesture as an invitation to snuggle into his chest. His arms wrap around me as he tangles his legs with mine. A kiss pressed to my temple. A sigh into my hair.
Yeah. This is perfect.
He’s perfect.
Chapter 8
Finn
It’s only once I wake up next to Kat that I realize that what happened between us is real. It wasn’t something my head made up. It wasn’t a dream or a fit of madness. It’s as real as she is, sleeping soundly in my arms.
We hadn’t meant to fall asleep right after sex, but like so many of the things between us, it just happened. Yeah, maybe it could have been fate, but I don’t think that had anything to do with how safe we made each other feel in that moment. One minute, I was making sure she was okay, and the next, we were both beginning to drift off. We just didn’t fight it.
The warmth of her next to me makes it hard to think about getting up. But someone’s phone is buzzing, and I think that’s what woke me up. I’m not sure if it’s hers or mine, but if it’s mine, it’s probably my mom, and I shouldn’t miss it.
“Baby,” I murmur to her, pushing a strand of hair out of her face. “It’s time to wake up.”
The pouting face Kat makes is adorable, and it almost works, but I won’t be deterred.
“One of our phones is ringing, and we should get up,”
She finally opens one of her eyes and gives me the best glare she has. My heart soars. “Do we have to?”
“If you still want to go out for coffee, yes.”
“Ugh,” she sighs. “Fine. You know my weakness so well.”
“And I look forward to figuring each and every one of them out so I can use the knowledge for good,” I smile down at her as she shoots me an adorable mock glare.
“Said every villain ever,” she quips as she throws off the covers. “Let’s see who’s responsible for interrupting my nap.”
***
Like all phone calls from my mother, it starts as a basic check in. She wants to know if my date is going well, even though I never told her it was a date, just coffee with a new friend. And then she starts asking about whether she should get dinner and if I’ll be home for it, and it all goes downhill from there.
I can’t complain. Her call and questions mean she’s having a good day, and I tell Kat as much when we start to pull our clothes on after getting cleaned up.
“My mom has mental health problems,” I explain. “I tend to get a lot of calls, even on her good days.”
Kat’s face is open and filled with empathy as she listens to me. There’s not an ounce of judgment on her face and it stirs something in my gut. Maybe it’s too soon, but I think I might be falling in love with this girl. It’s not a familiar feeling for me, feeling like this for someone else. But there’s no mistaking it. There’s nothing else I could call these blooming feelings.
“Does she have a lot of bad days?” Kat asks. She’s leaning forward as she sits on the edge of her bed, fully engaged in the conversation. There’s no reluctance in her body language; she actually wants to know more.
I watch her eyes linger on my fingers as I finish buttoning up my shirt before she meets my gaze. “Not currently. She’s on a new medication. It’s expensive and insurance doesn’t pay for it, but we’re making due. I’ve picked up overtime and it’s worth it to be able to see her thriving like this.”
“That’s amazing,” she says. “I bet you’re close.”
“We are.”
She sighs wistfully. “I wish I was close to my family like that. I have a twin sister, and we’re close enough, I guess. But nothing like that.”
Kat’s face falls a little, but I take one of her hands and pull her to stand. She bites her lip and reaches up to straighten my collar, avoiding my eyes.
“It’s okay if you’re not close with them,” I tell her. “Everyone’s circumstances are different.”
“I know, it just makes me feel a little lonely sometimes.”
