5. Willow
WILLOW
T he ride home was the longest fifteen minutes of Willow’s life. She was so exhausted that she couldn’t summon the energy to worry about Poppy’s driving, and Poppy—equally drained—was driving like a normal person for once.
Willow desperately wanted to talk to her sister about Milo; the concerns, the desires, the fears mingling inside her. Unfortunately, they were both too tired to string together any words that would be even remotely insightful.
A wave of guilt washed over Willow as she considered her own exhaustion.
She knew her sister would likely feel the consequences of this tomorrow, a flare-up that always came after pushing too hard.
Part of her wished she’d suggested they take things slower, that they leave earlier, give Poppy more time to rest. But the other part of her knew that her sister was aware of her own limits.
It wasn’t Willow’s place to set them, no matter how often she thought Poppy pushed herself too far.
There was something else, too; something in the back of her mind. They had stayed out fairly late due to the additional member of their group…
Her brow furrowed. She didn’t want to think about that right now.
When they finally got home, both of them dragged their feet inside, the weight of the groceries adding to the exhaustion that pressed down on them.
They placed the bags on the counter, and Willow told Poppy to go take a bath, one of the few remedies that helped with her joint pain, and promised she’d handle everything.
To her surprise, Poppy agreed without protest and made her way upstairs.
It only made Willow feel worse. It had to be worse than she had originally thought.
Willow mulled over the events of the day as she started unpacking the bags.
He had known her name. It sent a shiver down her spine, a chill crawling beneath her skin.
The implications were far from innocent.
She had replayed the day in her head, wondering if she’d let it slip while they were talking next to the plants, or if he’d overheard it when he’d been nearby.
Either way, he now had her number. That realization had gnawed at her during the ride home.
She had been impulsive—acting on the wet spot between her legs, and not a lick of logic was factored into the equation.
She kicked herself again for it. She desperately wanted to trust him.
She needed to... but she couldn’t figure out why.
Her hand brushed against something that shouldn’t have been in the bag.
Willow peeked in, and her heart warmed as she realized it was his jacket. Without thinking, she pulled it out and pressed it into her face, breathing in his scent.
She threw it to the counter and stood there frozen.
What the hell was that? she thought to herself in a daze. She stuffed the jacket into her tote bag and rushed around to finish up.
It only took a few minutes to put the fruits and vegetables away. When she finished, she left the dry goods on the counter and headed upstairs. Before she left, without thinking, she reached back into the tote bag and pulled out the jacket.
It was only six in the evening, but her body was already heavy with the need for sleep. Tomorrow would likely be one of those lazy Sundays where neither of them moved around much, both sisters too worn out to do anything but rest.
She’d deal with the jacket situation tomorrow.
It wasn’t worth stressing about tonight, and besides, she didn’t have the energy for it.
Willow walked directly to her room, closed the door, and then climbed into bed without so much as getting changed.
With her, she held his jacket, which she snuggled into in place of a pillow.
***
The next day, she woke up in the afternoon with the light still on. Willow yawned and stretched, taking her time to let her muscles flex into the motion. It felt incredible, and she was feeling once again that it would be a good day.
And then she remembered.
“Oh, shit,” she yelped, rummaging around the bed until she found her cell. There weren’t any missed calls or texts from him. She had been half-expecting that he would blow up her phone, and all her fears would be confirmed. Instead, nothing. Not a single ping.
She felt hollow in the pit of her stomach. Willow realized after a moment that she was crushed. She had been hoping that he would have at least reached out. She looked next to her, letting herself trail lazy fingers along the arm of the jacket, still bunched up on her bed.
With a frustrated growl, she tossed her phone to the side and flopped backward onto her bed, hands running down her face.
** *
After showering and getting dressed, Willow made her way downstairs. The comforting smell of breakfast rose to meet her as she descended, and she spotted Poppy busy at work in their kitchen.
“Hey, why aren’t you resting?” Willow asked, eyes narrowing.
Poppy looked up, her face splitting with a smile.
“Well, the food isn’t going to make itself. And besides, I don’t want to be stuck in bed all day. I’ve got things to do, toots.”
Willow rolled her eyes but let it go. Prodding her sister wouldn’t do any good. It would only spark a spat between them. Instead, she decided to focus on making it a peaceful day.
Even if she was still sulking a little.
While Poppy finished up, Willow went about making herself a cup of coffee. She wouldn’t have the quiet morning she’d hoped for, but that was okay. She found comfort in her sister’s company, and getting over twelve hours of sleep left her feeling at least somewhat refreshed.
They made their plates and ate in silence until Poppy mentioned the elephant in the room.
“So, this Milo guy…” she started, glancing at Willow expectantly.
“Yeah? The one you decided to invite out to ice cream before you even knew his name?”
“Oh, come on. I just like making friends.”
“Okay, well, the people you try to make friends with are creepy.”
“But you’re my friend!”
“Poppy, we are not friends, we’re sisters.”
“And your sister is your first friend!”
Willow groaned, putting her face in one hand, while Poppy grinned. Once she had regained composure, her sister started in again.
“Anyway, what’s up with him? You two seemed like you were getting cozy.”
“Nothing is up. I’ve never met the guy before. I don’t know. Something just feels weird.”
“No, I agree. If you want my honest opinion, I don’t like him. Something isn’t right with that one.”
Willow mulled that over, taking a sip of her coffee. It was unlike Poppy to dislike a person so strongly, especially so soon. Her sister was the most social person she knew.
“I don’t know. I think I want to see him again. I gave him my number.”
Poppy gasped, putting a hand over her heart before saying, “Willow Montgomery!”
“What?!”
“You never give a strange man your phone number! What were you thinking?”
“Well, I did, and there’s not much I can do about it now,” Willow grumbled. It wasn’t like she could hack into his phone and delete herself from his memory. The thought of that, of him losing his memory of her, made her stomach flip. Willow tried to ignore it.
“And you shouldn’t be drinking all that sugar before noon.”
“Okay, Poppy, I get it. Are we done?”
“I love you.”
Willow sighed once more in response before getting up and grabbing her plate. She glanced over at the coffee machine longingly. She would love another cup, but it would make her anxiety spike. Decaf was an option, but decaf was also a sin.
Instead, she grabbed a cup of water and went upstairs to her office. She had some work she wanted to get ahead on, and it would only take an hour or two.
***
She couldn’t focus. Every few seconds, her eyes darted toward the phone charging on her desk, her fingers twitching, itching to grab it. Not a single text had come through in the last hour, and the silence was starting to eat at her.
Of course, Willow could make the first move. She could break the ice and reach out to him... but that would mean giving in.
It felt foolish to play these games with a man she had met once, and one she still wasn’t sure about. And yet, there was something deeper at play. It was like a primal instinct had awoken inside her. She wanted him to chase her. She wanted him to make her feel hunted.
But she also wanted him to stop making her feel like an idiot with a crush.
“No,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head as she stood up and grabbed her phone. She began pacing the room, typing and deleting multiple messages, frustration bubbling. Finally, she paused, took a breath, and settled on something simple.
WILLOW: Hey
She cringed as soon as she sent it.
Was it too casual? Too nonchalant? Would he think she didn’t care?
Well, then, good. Because I don’t care.
Her phone pinged. Willow nearly jumped out of her skin, hands shaking as she tried and failed to unlock it. After another attempt, the text popped up.
MILO: What’s up, sleepyhead?
Her eyebrow raised. It was an odd way to respond, given that he had no idea when she had gotten up. She decided to ignore it.
WILLOW: Found ur jacket
MILO: Did you like it?
WILLOW: Why would I like it?
She was back to feeling trepidation. He was just so odd. The entire thing was so strange. She had only been guessing that the jacket had been left on purpose. Willow felt herself shiver.
MILO: I’ll have you know that’s a nice jacket lol
He avoided the real question. She decided that she would let him go for now.
WILLOW: ur never getting it back now
MILO: Guess I’ll have to come take what’s mine
It struck her like a bolt of lightning. Her core was throbbing at the thought of him, broad shoulders and strong hands, coming into her room, ripping the jacket off her to reveal a vulnerable nakedness beneath…
WILLOW: I’d like to see u try
MILO: Be careful what you wish for
WILLOW: I prefer living dangerously
MILO: Now, Willow
MILO: Don’t lie to me, naughty girl
She couldn’t help but squeal at the last message, eyes widening. Before she could stop herself, she was shooting off her response.