Chapter 22 Tyson
I should have known when Lainey gave me that look in the elevator that she was up to something. Baiting me. She talks a big game, but she also backs it up with action. Still, I never would have predicted that she would take it this far—stepping naked into the shower with me. It’s over the top even for her, and she looks incredibly proud of herself.
I’ve seen Lainey naked before—but only a flash here and there. This time is different. Much different. I carefully consider my next move. I know what I should do. I know I should get out of there posthaste and go straight to bed. But I feel my own stubborn streak kicking in as I hold my ground, then point-blank ask her what she’s doing.
For once, she doesn’t have an answer—and something in her brown eyes looks different. Softer. Almost vulnerable.
“I just wanted to join you,” she says, shivering. “I was cold.”
I make room for her under the water and tell her to “come on over.”
She doesn’t move.
After a few seconds, I reach out and gently grab her waist, pulling her toward me and under the water. I’m surprised by how small she feels in my hands and how easily she folds into my arms. I’m even more surprised that she follows my lead with none of her usual gamesmanship. It’s almost as if she’s a different person. As I look into her eyes, a feeling of warmth washes over me.
“There,” I say right into her ear. “Is this what you wanted?”
She shudders as I move my hands to her hips, pulling her closer. She puts her face on my chest and makes a soft oh sound. I take it as a yes, moving my hands to her ass.
“Goddamnit, Lainey,” I whisper, kissing her neck and earlobe. “Your body—”
She looks up at me and smiles. She knows how good she looks, and her confidence drives me crazy. At the same time, I feel a sense of calm. Touching Lainey feels surprisingly comfortable and familiar. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, though. After all, there has never been any pretense or bullshit with Lainey. She is exactly who she has always said she is. I’m dying to kiss her, but I make myself hold back, knowing that we will take things too far if I do. Lainey isn’t one to put on the brakes, and my resolve is starting to slip, too.
I look into her eyes, the warm feeling expanding in my chest. I want to freeze this moment. Savor it. But we are at a crossroads, and I know that we have to move forward or stop altogether. It’s an extremely close call, but I choose the latter.
I kiss Lainey’s forehead, then step around her to get out of the shower. I towel myself off and quickly throw on my shorts and a T-shirt before walking back into the bedroom.
Holy shit, I think. What just happened?
A moment later, Lainey appears in the bedroom, wrapped in a towel. I look over at her, then watch as she approaches me with a subdued expression.
“Why did you get out?” she asks me.
“You know why,” I say. “The better question is—why did you get in?”
“Because I wanted to,” she says, standing in front of me and looking right into my eyes. “I’m attracted to you.”
I swallow and nod. “I’m attracted to you, too,” I say.
“Then why did you stop?” she asks me, looking genuinely curious.
I pause, then say, “Because I need to process this. We can’t fuck up our friendship on a drunken whim.”
“I guess you’re right,” she says, nodding.
“Yeah,” I say, thinking there are other reasons, too—reasons that I can’t quite articulate, even to myself. I think they have something to do with Summer and the idea that I’d be crossing a line with the second of my three best friends. It doesn’t feel right.
“But for what it’s worth,” Lainey says, “I don’t think it’s a whim….”
I bite my lip, then choose my words carefully. “Maybe not, but we need to be sure.”
She nods, staring at me with her big eyes. “Can we at least cuddle?”
The warm feeling invades my body again, this time overtaking me completely.
I nod, then lead her over to the bed. We lie down, putting our heads on the same pillow, her towel still wrapped around her.
“Come closer,” I say, my heart beating funny.
She slides the whole way over to me, resting her head on my shoulder.
“What’s happening here?” she whispers.
“I don’t know,” I whisper back.
“Well, what do you think it is?”
“Shhh,” I say.
She turns her face toward me and smiles. “Did you just shush me?”
“Yes.” I gently palm her face and say, “Sometimes it’s okay to be quiet, Lainey.”
“Okay, Tyson,” she whispers, putting her head back on my shoulder.
Her retort is playful, but the way she says my name makes my heart race. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s just Lainey, after all, my friend who has uttered my name thousands of times before. But something has changed between us.
I’m not sure how long we stay like that, but at some point, I can tell she’s drifted off. Then I fall asleep, too. When I awaken, I panic, remembering Hannah. I nudge Lainey, and we both sit up.
“What time is it?” she asks, rubbing her eyes.
“It’s time to get up. Hannah could be back any minute. You should probably put some clothes on,” I say, as her towel slips from her body.
Lainey pulls it up, then turns her back to me and quickly changes into a pair of pajamas. It’s the most modest I’ve ever seen her. She sits back down on the bed, but several feet away from me. I turn on the BBC. They are covering the latest in Gaza, but I can’t concentrate on the news right now.
“I think you should sleep here tonight,” she says, looking over at me. “In the bed with me.”
“I wish. This mattress is so comfortable.”
“Is that the only reason?”
I smile, but before I can answer, Hannah opens the door and walks into the room. “Well, aren’t y’all adorable!” she says. “Watching TV in bed like an old married couple.”
Lainey gives me a knowing glance, then looks back at Hannah. “And guess what? Tyson said he wants to sleep here tonight. With me.”
“I said no such thing.” I shake my head.
“Well, I don’t mind taking the cot,” Hannah says. “We really should be rotating anyway.”
“Well, if we’re rotating,” I say, “Lainey can take the cot.”
“Why me?” she says, the whine back in her voice.
“Why not you?” I say, the sharpness back in mine.
“Okay, Tyson. Please stop pretending that you aren’t dying to share a bed with me. We can all see through your act.”
“Well, maybe you could give me some acting lessons,” I say.
Hannah ignores us, heading into the bathroom. The second the door closes, I look at Lainey, smile, then whisper, “What the heck are you doing?”
“Nothing,” she says with an innocent shrug. “I’m just trying to be regular.”
I give her a look that says, Nothing about this situation is regular.
Then I get up from the bed.
“Where are you going?” she asks me.
“To my cot. So I can think,” I say, walking over and putting in my AirPods before lying down on my back.
A second later, Hannah walks out of the bathroom, and Lainey starts grilling her. I stare up at the ceiling, listening to Jason Isbell on low volume.
“So what happened with Archie?” I hear Lainey ask her. “Give us the scoop! Did you have hot sex?”
“How’d you guess?” Hannah says, rolling her eyes.
“Wow! What a coincidence. Tyson and I just hooked up, too!” Lainey says. “In the shower!”
Hannah laughs and says, “I don’t think he can hear you. He has his AirPods in.”
“Yeah, right,” Lainey says. “He’s ear-hustling. Oldest trick in the book.”
I smile, then open my eyes, looking over at her. “Trust me, Lainey. I’m trying not to hear you.”
“Likely story,” she replies before turning back to Hannah. “Now. C’mon. Tell me what happened!”
“Nothing,” Hannah says. “We just had a glass of wine in town.”
“Why didn’t you go back to his hotel?” Lainey asks.
“I thought about it…but I was really tired…. What about you and Ian? Why didn’t you go back with him?”
“Meh,” Lainey says. “I just wasn’t feeling it.”
I can’t help but smile to myself.