Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
TEDDY
I wait for him to answer. Now that he's close, I can smell him. West has a clean, earthy smell to him and a touch of fresh cotton. I can tell from his damp hair he showered before he came down to the kitchen. I’m thinking he was in search of food. There wasn’t really any other reason to be down here this late. He sticks to his wing for the most part.
“You don’t have to do that.” He picks up the tray.
“It goes in there.” I motion to one of the cabinets. “I enjoy preparing food,” I tell him as he puts the tray away. “Sit, while I make you something. You look exhausted.”
“Isn’t that the nice way of telling someone they look like shit?” There is a hint of teasing to his tone as he takes a seat at the kitchen island.
“I don’t think you have ever looked like shit a day in your life, West.” I let out a small laugh. No matter the expression on his face, even ones that annoy me, he is still handsome.
“Is that so?” His lips twitch, and I think he was going to smile but stopped short of a smirk.
I’ll take it. It’s nice seeing this more approachable side to him. I’m not sure how long I’ll have it, so I’m going to make this time with him last as long as I can. It’s the most we’ve spoken to each other since that night in Karl’s office. It may sound a bit crazy to say, but in a way that I can’t begin to explain, I’ve missed him.
“Fishing for compliments?” I poke at him, wanting to keep this playful banter going.
“No.” He shakes his head, acting as if no one has ever given him one, which is impossible. I don't want to imagine the women he's dated. He watches me as I prepare a simple pasta dish for him. “I’m sleeping for shit,” West finally offers.
“After you eat, I’ll make you one of my hot chocolates. It helps everyone else sleep around here.”
“That sounds nice.”
“Is it because you’re away from home?” I ask. I know it's hard for people to sleep in different places.
“It’s a lot of things.” I nod in understanding. I have been so focused on Willa and Rich, how their lives might change, that I haven’t thought about West and what all he might have given up to be here. A whole life, I’m sure.
“Can I ask where you live?”
“Seattle.” I smile, happy that I’ve got him answering me, so I keep going while I cook, asking him small things about his life. Not trying to push too deep or scare him off. He again reminds me of an animal I’m trying to get close to and have to move slowly.
“That was amazing,” West says when he eats the last bite of pasta.
“I can make more if you like.”
“You’ve done enough already. Thank you.” I want to tell him thank you too, but I hold it back. It feels like a rare treat getting this much conversation out of him.
“Join me in the den? You can take your drink there,” I ask while I warm it up for him. “My reality TV often makes Willa crash. It could help.”
“I don’t watch much TV, if any.” Disappointment fills me. “But I could try it. Willing to try anything for one good night of sleep.” My disappointment vanishes.
“Awesome.” As soon as the word leaves my mouth, I feel like a dork. Awesome? Really, Teddy? It makes me sound young, which I am, but I don’t want him seeing me that way.
“Are you going to have one with me?”
“Sure.” I grab another cup, still shocked that he’s going to watch TV with me. When I finish filling both mugs, West takes them and follows me into the den. There is a movie room, but we never use it. It’s super fancy with these recliner chairs. It feels impersonal, so we always used this room to watch movies together when Karl wasn’t here. It’s more homey with big, soft, comfortable chairs and throw blankets.
“Shall I?” West nods to the fireplace, setting our mugs down.
“Yes, please. I love a fire.” It’s still warm out now, with fall moving in, but at night, the island is always cool. It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is. I grab the remote to find one of my shows to put on. I decide on Traitors , thinking that might lure him in more than Housewives .
I take a seat on one of the couches, watching West get the firing going, the whole time wondering where he'll sit. I hope he decides to sit next to me, but I don’t want to be obvious about it. Nor do I want to be disappointed if he doesn’t. I have no clue why this man has such an effect on me, but he does.
“All done.” His eyes come to me when he turns around. I can feel them, but I keep mine trained on the TV getting it set up and not showing my anticipation of where he will choose to sit. Then the couch dips beside me. Excitement fills me with his choice. “It's my first time watching trash TV, so go easy on me.”
“It’s good trash.” I nudge him playfully with my shoulder. “I’ll ease you into it.” I swing my gaze toward him. The blush that had already started to form on my cheeks blooms more when I see the way he’s looking at me. “ Traitors ,” I blurt out for no logical reason other than I panicked.
“Traitors?” He lifts a brow.
“It’s good. You’ll be addicted in no time.” His eyes drop to my mouth.
“I’m sure I will be.” Holy shit. Is he thinking about kissing me? No way. He turns his head, breaking the spell. “Here.” He leans forward to pick up one of the mugs, then hands it to me.
“Thanks.” I hit play before I take it from him. He grabs his own. I settle in next to him as we watch the episode. I can only half pay attention with how close he is to me. This is not how I thought tonight would go when we came back from the diner.
We both finish our drinks, but neither of us moves, allowing one episode to flow seamlessly into the next. I find myself growing sleepy, but I fight it. I don’t want this to be over.
“Maybe we should lie down. It might help me get tired.”
“Okay,” I say, turning to lie on my side facing the TV. To my utter shock, West sinks in behind me, pulling a blanket over us. His arm comes to rest around me.
“This okay?” he whispers next to my ear. For the first time in my life, I find myself at a loss for words, so I simply nod. West lets his arm drape more around me, and I let myself relax into him. It’s not long before sleep takes me, and I’m pretty sure West takes a part of my heart too.