What Are The Chances (Phil-U #2)

14 The pants stay on

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The pants stay on

RILEY

I’d run the Boston and New York marathons, yet my heart was beating faster now than it had at either of those finish lines.

The party was tapering off. Of those who were left, nobody cast us a secondary glance as Will led the way. His swag was setup behind a shiny black truck, giving it an element of privacy. When he stepped out of his shoes, I took the hint and did the same.

As he crouched down, the unzipping of his swag caused me to quiver. It was like a flashing neon sign that read Riley, are you really going through with this?

At the beginning of the week Will had been a distant closed off memory, and now I was about sleep beside him. This situational shift seemed too surreal to be happening.

His swag was a double, so there was plenty of room for us both. Though with his size, probably not as much as I needed to keep a safe distance. After peeling back the covers, he gestured for me to climb in first.

No freaking worries. In you climb, Riley. No big deal. Time to cosy up to your ex. Just a standard Saturday night.

My brain had gone into full panic mode. Thankfully my limbs moved on their own accord.

The swag was surprisingly cushiony, and compared to outside, the blankets were a godsend. As I got settled, I peered up at Will who’d just slipped off his jacket. When he reached for the hem of his hoodie, I inhaled sharply.

“What are you doing?”

He arched a brow. “Going to bed. ”

I levelled him with a knowing glare that had him sighing.

“You know I run hot when I sleep, Riley.”

I did. He was literally like a furnace to sleep beside. It was a shame I couldn’t touch him tonight because I could really use the heat right now.

“Fine,” I conceded. “But the pants stay on.”

“You want me to sleep in jeans?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“You do realise that morning wood and denim aren’t a good combination, right?”

I shrugged, adjusting the pillow. “That sounds like your dick’s problem.”

As his eyes widened, a flicker of amusement played at the corner of his lips.

Note to self, Riley: don’t mention Will’s dick for the rest of the night.

In one swift movement he peeled off his hoodie and t-shirt. Un-freaking-fair. The toned torso I’d been familiar with was now muscled. Ripples ran along his stomach, creating the perfect V that disappeared beneath his jeans that under no circumstances were coming off tonight.

The added muscle wasn’t the only addition. His entire right arm and pec were covered in tattoos, and a matching sleeve was beginning to take shape on the left side of his body. He’d had a few tattoos when we were together, but this was something else. Though I was curious to study each one, I forced myself to look away.

I instinctively held my breath when Will climbed into the swag. Like me, he made a conscious effort to remain as far to the outer edge as possible. Though that still didn’t leave enough space between us.

After a few moments of awkwardly adjusting, including him accidentally pulling the blankets over my head and me kicking his shin, we found a happy medium.

“Good?” he checked.

“Yes,” I lied.

He reached up to zip the swag closed. Then just like that, the outside world ceased to exist.

For someone who’d been extremely tired, I was now incredibly wired. There was no point in even closing my eyes because sleep wasn’t close at all. The distant thrum of music and instant darkness somehow made us feel more isolated. I was conscious of how loudly I was breathing. In this small space, nothing was sacred.

“Riley?”

Something about my name coming from Will Caufield’s mouth filled me with a nervous energy.

“Yeah?”

“I need to roll onto my side.”

“Okay? ”

“My left side,” he clarified. “I, ugh, can’t lay on my right shoulder still.”

“Oh.” I swallowed. “Okay.”

We fell into another awkward shuffle as he rolled towards me. Though even in the darkness, knowing he was facing me was eerie, so just as he got settled I rolled over and we repeated the uncomfortable process all over again.

Back when we were dating, we were like one entity in bed. When one rolled, the other did. It was never stiff or awkward. We were a well-oiled machine, some part of our bodies always touching.

“Riley?”

“I swear to god, Caufield. If you say you need to roll over again–”

“I was going to ask if you were cold.”

It was only once he asked the question that I realised I was shaking. So much so that my lips were chattering. But I wasn’t cold. Not really. I think my body was in some state of shock, like even it couldn’t believe who it was lying beside.

“I’m fine.”

“It’s freezing out. It’s okay to admit you’re cold.”

“Says the guy currently topless.”

He was silent for a long moment before his warm hand gently came to rest on my hip. I could feel the heat of it through my sweats and leggings. It only caused me to shiver more.

“Come here. Let me warm you up. No hidden motive, I promise.”

I nervously swallowed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Will sighed. “Neither is getting hypothermia. Don’t be so stubborn, Dover.”

“Don’t be so bossy, Caufield.”

I lost the argument when Will tugged me closer and angled his warm limbs around my shaking ones.

The well-oiled machine automatically kicked back into gear. My traitorous body instinctively moulded into the warm groove of his, burrowing in. One of his strong arms slung over my stomach, keeping me steady, and the other came to rest above my head.

The heaviness of how familiar this felt wasn’t lost on me. The years between nights spent with Will ceased to exist as I relaxed, as though we’d never been apart. With the familiarity replacing the earlier awkwardness, the silence no longer felt so stifling. I began breathing normally again and exhaustion clouded over me, lowering all my defences. I tested the waters and fluttered my eyelids closed.

And a moment later, I fell asleep in Will’s arms.