Chapter 18
Tessa
I enjoy my soup while we watch the teams warm-up, and then it’s time for the start of the game.
Slater tries to offer me the second bowl of soup, but I wave him away.
“I’m full; thank you.” I spy the bread that came with it.
“Ooo, but I’ll take that bread if you don’t want it.
” He hands it to me, and I tear off strips of bread.
“Panera has the best bread,” Evie comments from right next to me.
“Yeah, they do.”
The game starts, and I lose focus of everything but the game. Slater hasn’t been subjected to sitting near me during a game, and he gets the full experience. He turns to me after the first few minutes when there’s a commercial. “Are you always this intense during a game?”
Zane and Evie laugh. “Oh, this is nothing. You should have seen her at your game this weekend, Brother,” Zane says.
Slater stares at me, and I shrug. “I love sports.”
“But you love soccer more, right?” His voice is quiet, and I don’t think Evie and Zane can hear him over the tv.
I grin and pretend that I’m thinking about it.
“Watching Reid play is pretty amazing; he’s really good.
” I’m not lying about that; he really is good.
Slater’s eyes narrow, and I can’t resist messing with him.
“And football is really good too. Zane has quite the arm. He’s set so many records already.
” I lean forward and pat his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I still love soccer too.”
The game comes back on, and I get sucked in. I really enjoy watching, but the pain in my nose and head is starting to build again. At halftime, I lean forward. “Slater, do you have any more of those pain killers?”
He turns to me, and I realize how close our heads are.
He stills, and I think I forget how to breathe.
Then he breaks the moment. “I’ll get them.
” He’s gone a moment later, and I try to draw oxygen into my lungs.
He comes back a few minutes later and hands them to me along with my water bottle from earlier.
“Thanks.”
I continue to watch as the second half starts, but I have a hard time watching. It’s making my headache worse. I must make a sound, because Slater turns to me suddenly and stands. “Hey, come on.” He puts out his hand, and I slip mine in his. Without a word, he leads me to his room again.
“I just need a minute in the dark to try to get my head to stop hurting, and then maybe you could drive me back to campus, if that’s not too much trouble.”
“Sure.”
I glance at his bed and back at him. “Is it okay if I lay on your bed again?”
He puts his hand on my back and guides me there.
I close my eyes in relief as soon as I lay down.
My head and nose are throbbing. “I just need to let my painkillers kick in,” I whisper.
I feel a large hand at my temple, but I don’t open my eyes.
It doesn’t take long for that sort of floating feeling to hit me, and I fall asleep.
The next time I open my eyes, it’s completely dark. I can’t see anything. I reach for where my phone should be but don’t find anything. I suddenly remember I’m in Slater’s room. I try to let my eyes adjust, but I seriously can’t see anything. “Slater?” I whisper.
“I’m here.”
His voice soothes the growing panic. “What time is it?” I ask, totally out of it.
“It’s a little after midnight.”
I sit straight up in bed. “I’m so sorry.” I throw back the covers and sit up. “I should be in my dorm. I—” I shake my head, trying to wake up fully.
“Easy. It's okay. You were sleeping, so I just let you.”
“What about you? You’re on the floor. That’s terrible.”
“I’m fine,” he starts, but I continue.
“You should have just woken me up. I’m so sorry.”
“Hey.” There’s a hand on my leg, stilling me. “Everything’s okay. Take a breath.” I do, and the panic starts to ease. “I could have woken you up, but I didn’t want to. You were sleeping soundly. But if there’s a reason you need to be in your dorm, I’ll take you there.”
“Well, no; I just feel bad.”
“Don’t.”
“But you’re on the floor.”
“I’m fine.”
“But—” I start.
“Tessa.” The way he says my name makes me pause. “It’s okay. Do you feel like you can sleep more?”
I laugh. “Uh, yeah. This bed is amazing.”
“Good. Now lay down and enjoy it.”
“But you’re on the floor; I can’t do that to you.”
“You’re not,” he says in return.
“Slater,” I start.
“Tessa,” he returns.
I pause, unsure about what to say next. I feel horrible that he’s sleeping on the floor. “Do you want me to sleep on the couch?”
“No.”
“But—” I try again.
“Tessa, if you can get good sleep, that will make me feel better and sleep too.”
I take in his words. “Okay. If you’re sure...”
“I am. Get some sleep. If you need anything, just call my name. I’m a light sleeper. Before you go back to sleep, do you need more pain pills?”
I yawn. “I want to try to go without them.”
“Okay. Get some sleep, Tess.” His voice is soft, so I keep mine soft as well.
“You too, Slater. Thank you.” It only takes a few minutes for me to fall back asleep. The next thing I know, somebody shakes me awake. “What?” I grumble, irritated that somebody is waking me. I figure it’s Stephanie.
“You’d better get up if we’re going to get you to your first-hour class on time.” That voice is definitely not Stephanie’s. My eyes snap open, and I see Slater hovering over me. I shriek and throw the blankets over my head. There’s silence for a moment. “Uh, Tessa?”
“Why are you in my room?” I blurt out.
There’s another pause. “Pretty sure you’re in my room.” It takes a few precious seconds for everything to come roaring back. The pain in my face reminds me first, and I groan. I feel the bed shift, and I know he’s sitting right on the bed next to me. “Do you need to take a sick day?” he asks.
I groan again. “No, I have too much going on today. Can I use your shower?” His eyes drift over my face, landing on my nose. I resist the urge to touch it, not wanting it to hurt more than it already does. “Is it hideous?”
“No.” His answer is immediate.
Knowing I need to get going, I throw back the covers and stand. “Shower?” He walks over to the closed door. “You have your own bathroom?” I hadn’t even noticed yesterday. He turns on the light and starts the shower for me. He grabs a clean towel and sets it on the counter.
“There are products already in the shower. Holler if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” I will most definitely not be hollering I need anything.
There’s no way he’s coming in here while I’m showering.
I close and lock the door behind me and start carefully taking off my clothes.
I make the mistake of looking into the mirror over the sink.
I stare at my face, horrified. A cry leaves my lips.
There's an immediate knock at the door. “Tessa?”
“You lied to me,” I accuse through the closed door. He’s quiet. “My face is hideous.”
“No, it’s not,” he argues.
“I could scare small children and give them nightmares for life.” I hear him chuckle. “It’s not funny.”
“Sorry,” he says, but I can hear the humor in his voice.
I look at myself in the mirror once again and take in the bruising all around my nose and eyes. Then there’s my actual nose which is still puffy. “I look like Frankenstein.”
“No, you don’t; but you better get in the shower or you’re going to be late.”
His words get me going, and I climb in. The shower feels incredibly good as long as I don’t let it hit my face directly.
When it’s time to wash up, I’m surprised to see my exact brand of shampoo, conditioner, and body soap.
I stare at them a moment, as well as the pink razor and shaving cream.
I’m not exactly sure what to think about that, but in the moment, I’m thankful.
After a shower, I do feel better. I force myself not to look in the mirror again.
I notice the pile of clothes sitting on the counter, and I breathe a sigh of relief for my bestie.
The underwear and bra are doable, even though I have to loosen the cups to fit around me.
The jeans are a little long, but I cuff them.
And the sweater is a little tighter than one of mine but not bad. “Thank you, Evie,” I mutter.
“Tessa, there are cosmetics for you in the drawers on the left.”
Slater’s words reach me through the closed door, and I open the first drawer, discovering a new pink toothbrush still in the packaging.
There’s my brand of toothpaste and floss picks as well.
In the second drawer is my same deodorant, perfume, and even makeup.
There’s also a bottle of lotion; that too is my favorite brand.
There’s also a really nice hair dryer, straightener, and curling iron.
“Slater,” I call through the closed door.
“Yeah.”
“Why do you have all this? It’s all the same stuff I use.
” Then a terrible thought hits me. Maybe he keeps these items on hand for girls that sleep over.
Maybe the brands are a coincidence. I stare at the products, wondering.
When I can’t stand it anymore, I whip the door open.
He steps back in surprise. “Do you keep those products on hand for other girls?”
He stares down at me in confusion. “What?”
I’m suddenly mortified. I just made myself sound like a jealous girlfriend. “Never mind.” I try to shut the door, but he shoots his hand out, stopping the door from shutting. He opens the door and steps inside. I take a step back and turn towards the sink, busying myself with picking up.
“Everything in here I bought for you.” His voice is low and soft.
I turn to him in confusion. “Why? And how did you know what products I use?”
“Evie helped me.”
“Oh.” That actually made sense. She would know because we used to be suitemates and shared the same bathroom. We often borrowed each other’s products if one of us ran out.
“Are you almost ready? We need to leave soon.”
“Oh goodness. You need to take a shower, and I’ve been hogging it. I’m so sorry.” I practically flee the bathroom.
“You’re fine. I’ll be fast.” The door closes behind him, and I take a deep breath.
Get ahold of yourself, Tessa.
I make the bed I slept in and straighten the room.
True to his word, the bathroom door opens only minutes later.
“I just have to grab—” The words die on my tongue when he steps out of the bathroom with only a towel around his lower half.
I catch myself staring and drop my head, feeling my face flush hot.
“I just have to throw on clothes, and I’ll be ready.”
“Okay,” I manage to squeak out and rush into the bathroom.
I make quick work of putting everything away and finishing my makeup quickly.
I do my best to cover the bruising on my face.
Since my hair is still wet, I throw it in a messy bun on top of my head.
I wipe the sink down and hang up the towels we used.
When I finish, I feel his presence. I look over to the door and see him leaning against the doorframe, looking incredibly sexy in his jeans and long-sleeved blue soccer shirt.
“I could get used to this,” he says in a low voice.
“What?” I ask, breathless.
“Sharing a bathroom and getting ready together for the day.”