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“About time,” he jokes when I open up. “I had a killer practice today and I don’t think my legs could handle trying to out run your dad if he finds me out here,” he adds, his eyes scanning the yard.
“Shut up,” I say, pulling him inside. “You could easily outrun him on his best day,” I joke, playfully rolling my eyes. As though there’s no chance of that happening. And yet, when Thomas’s back is turned, I can’t help but quickly check for myself, making sure that no one saw him before sliding the window closed and securing the drapes.
“You just checked, didn’t you?” Thomas asks with a smirk as he makes himself comfortable on my bed, grabbing a bag of cookies from the bag. Myfavoritecookies.
“No. You worry too much.” I lie, biting back a grin while ignoring the way my heart flutters.
Thomas chuckles and, like always, the sound hits me in the chest. This damn crush is going to ruin me one day. I can sense it.
“Alright. I brought donuts, cookies and candy? What kind of day is it?” Thomas asks, moving on and making it even harder to keep my feelings platonic.He’s Luke’s friend. He’s Luke’s friend.No matter how many times I tell myself that, it just doesn’t sink in.
When I don’t answer right away, Thomas waves the bag in front of my face as he laughs again, and I can’t stop my responding smile from spreading across my face.
“It’s a donutandcandy day,” I say with a grimace, though I know he won’t judge me.
“Sheesh,” he winces. “That bad?”
“You be the judge… I was told my dancer’s body is the only reason a guy would ever be interested in me.” I laugh as I jokingly run my hands from my chest to my waist, trying to play it down. “So… there's that.” I shrug, finally looking up to find Thomas frozen in place with his hand hovering in midair, his eyes locked on my waist as though his gaze had been following my movement. I hold my breath under his intense stare as butterflies fill my chest, my mind whirling with reasons for the attention.
He blinks a few times and then shakes his head, seemingly clearing his thoughts, before chuckling along with me. “Well, I mean, he’s obviously never seen you try to rap, because that’s pretty impressive, too.”
I shove at his chest before crawling up onto the bed and crossing my legs to get comfortable, while Thomas lays back into the pillows. “You were never supposed to see that.”
“Maybe so. But I’m pretty lucky I did. That’s something I’ll never forget.”
***
Like always, we lose track of time talking, and it’s not until I yawn that Thomas moves to leave. The part I always hate. Never knowing when he’s going to come back.
He’s just opened the window when a banging starts up from the other side of the room. “Lainey! Can I come in? You’ll never guess who I saw tonight,” Luke yells, making Thomas drop to the floor in a panic.
Covering my mouth, I fight to stop the giggles and thank my lucky stars that Luke always respects my privacy. “One minute!” I yell back before crouching down to Thomas’s level.
“Not scared of Luke, huh?” I ask, sucking my lips into my mouth. Thomas’s eyes flash to my suppressed smile before he shakes his head and stands.
“You know he can be a little protective, right?” he whispers, his eyes now firmly locked on my bedroom door. “Plus, he’s my teammate, so—”
“Yep, I know. You better go before my minute’s up.” I force a smile as I push him out into the cold.
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Thomas laughs quietly as he checks the coast is clear before jogging toward my back fence, only stopping to wave when he’s reached the edge of the shadows.
My heart sinks when he disappears, but I don’t get time to dwell on it, considering I have about three seconds before Luke’s invasion. And maybe that’s a good thing. Because while Thomas’s visits always lift me up, I know they won’t last forever.
