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This time, he kissed me for real, cupping my face gently.
Time felt like it froze as his lips met mine, a gentle warmth spreading through all of me. For a moment, my head was empty of all thoughts, all my senses focused solely on Toby. All I could feel was his warmth and taste his sweetness. Maple syrup. If anyone tasted sweet, it’d be Toby.
The sweetness of his lips lingered as he pulled away, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I couldn’t help but give him a goofy smile, my heart racing from the brief but intense moment.
“Now that I’m completely awake, why are you here?” I asked, attempting to gain my composure even as I continued to feel overheated.
Toby chuckled, the low, husky sound sending shivers down my spine. “Well, sleepy beauty needed to open her eyes,” he replied. His playful gaze was still filled with a hint of desire. Toby leaned in again, his lips brushing mine in a teasing manner. “And I can’t resist stealing kisses from you. Every chance I get, I’m claiming your lips.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I gently pushed him away, needing air to breathe and to think and not to give in to him. Kissing Toby all morning wouldn’t be a bad way to spend my time. This was definitely not the wake-up call I had expected to get this morning, but it was one I wouldn’t trade for anything.
“For real, Toby, what’s going on?”
Toby did a fake pout, standing up from the bed. “Paxon mentioned you were going to be part of a stream, and I came to help you out.”
“Help with what?”
“Setting it up. I brought some equipment I’m sure you didn’t think about. A light, really good mic and camera, though you most likely already have a better mic. I have Seth and Bryan setting your computer up with a stronger internet connection.”
“What?”
Toby laughed. “Get dressed then go over to your house, I’ll show you. Thankfully, I was already familiar enough with your current setup so I had Bryan help me bring over what you were missing.”
Curiosity got the best of me so it didn’t take me long to get ready and head to my house.
As soon as I went inside, I felt the difference. It was so noticeable that I froze in the doorway.
What was it? Why did it feel so different? I felt like I had walked into one of those puzzles where one picture wasn’t quite the same and it was my job to find the differences.
A soft thud from upstairs caught my attention. Then there was a low murmur of voices.
Realization hit me.
For the first time, I wasn’t walking into an empty house. People were already here before I was. My house felt alive. It had never felt like this before. Unable to help myself, I smiled and went upstairs.
Bryan and Seth were on the second floor, messing with a thick, black cord.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Your Wi-Fi sucks on the third floor,” Bryan said. “So we’re going to hardwire you in with an ethernet cord. Streaming is sensitive to losing signal, so we want to make sure that doesn’t happen. I already checked your internet, it’s actually really good. Better than Seth’s.”
“Is that your way of asking me to use my internet more often?” I asked.
“Hell yeah.” Bryan smiled. “Between his computer, laptop, phone, iPad, TV, and game consoles, he has so much hooked up. And if we’re all doing a bunch of stuff at once, it likes to slow down. It’s such a pain.”
“Sure,” I said, shrugging.
“Sure?” Bryan looked over at me.
“We all know I don’t use my house. There’s plenty of space. You can take over my living room if you want. I think it should be big enough.”
“Did I hear what I think I heard?” Toby asked, coming in from behind me.
“She’s giving us permission to take over her house,” Bryan said.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” I suddenly felt like I made a really bad mistake with the way they were smiling at each other. Toby’s eyes briefly glazed over and I was a little scared to ask what he was clearly already planning.
Seth was grinning big. “You totally did.”
