Page 43 of Crushed

I wasted no time closing the door and locking it, so I could dive right into getting everything set up before Jesse returned. He hadn’t been gone that long yet, but he said he didn’t think he’d need much longer than an hour.

Plenty of time for me to do what I needed to do.

So, I snatched my phone up off the couch, carried the box upstairs, moved to one of the spare bedrooms, and knelt on the floor. I pulled out the two items inside, smiled, and carried one out of the room.

Jesse’s laundry room was on the second floor, which I thought was fantastic, considering that’s where all the clothing generally would be. Once there, I pulled out the first of my purchases.

New bed sheets.

Smiling, I dumped them into the washing machine and turned it on. Then, I went back to the guest room. That’s where I found my face lighting up even more at what was there. I’d purchased my first air mattress.

Jesse and I would be able to have our very own spaces to sleep in every night, and I wouldn’t have to risk an embarrassing situation in the morning. After unboxing the mattress, I noted that it hadn’t come with an air pump.

Thinking for moment, I realized that Jesse was an active guy. Surely, he had to have an air pump in his garage for something.

So I descended the stairs again, made my way out into the garage, and started searching for a pump. I was fortunate enough to find one almost immediately. Apparently, luck really was on my side today.

I made it back inside the house and up the stairs to the spare bedroom again, where I intended to inflate the mattress. But I hadn’t been in the room for more than a full minute when I could have sworn I heard the familiar chime that indicated a door had opened.

I froze on the spot and listened closely. Then, I heard, “Sawyer!”

Relief swept through me at the sound of Jesse’s voice. Though, that relief I felt was brief when I realized that not only had I not finished getting the mattress set up, but also that Jesse sounded panicked and was home much sooner than he had originally indicated he would be.

I moved out of the bedroom and toward the staircase. Standing at the top of the stairs, I called out, “Jesse?”

He came into view at the bottom of the steps a moment later and stopped at the sight of me. There was no missing the stressed look on his face. His eyes raked over my body from top to toe and back again before he began climbing the stairs.

“What are you doing?” he asked when he made it to the top and was just a few feet away.

Crap.

There was no way I could tell him what I was doing. Or, maybe I could. Maybe this would be good for him, too. He wouldn’t have to feel like he was being rude by making me sleep on the couch, but he also wouldn’t have to worry about me invading his space while he was sleeping.

Even as much as I convinced myself that this would be okay, I knew better than to assume I was right. So, I shrunk back and into myself as I said, “Well, I am sort of working on something that I think will be good for the both of us.”

His brows knit together, and there was still so much tension in his face.

Maybe showing him would be a better option.

So, I turned and walked down the hall toward the spare bedroom. I could hear Jesse following behind me.

A moment later, we had both stepped into the room, and I swung my arm out to the side in the direction of the mattress.

Jesse’s eyes shifted between it and my face several times before they finally landed on me and settled there. “I called you.”

Now, it was my turn to be confused. “What?” I asked.

“I called your phone, and you didn’t answer.”

I glanced down at the ground, saw my phone sitting there, and picked it up. Sure enough, there was a missed call from Jesse. It took me a moment, but then I realized I hadn’t given Jesse my number.

Looking back at him, I wondered, “How did you get my number?”

“Your mom gave it to me.”

“My mom?”

He nodded.

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