Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
Liam
I frown when I realise Hemi isn’t against my back, tracing circles on my stomach.
Rolling over to confirm he’s left the bed, I pout when I see the creased sheets and no rugby player.
Cold too, so he left a while ago. I must have been tired if I didn’t wake up when he left, but a hike and orgasm will do that to you.
Especially when you haven’t done either in a while. My hand doesn’t count.
Something’s sizzling in the kitchen, and I inhale the scents of bacon and eggs and coffee.
I sit up with a wince—Hemi’s massage could only do so much for my nonexistent muscles. I don’t want to imagine how I’d feel without his massage—and reach for my phone.
There’s a message from Daisy, who will be in South Africa now for the Freedom Cup. I sent her the photo of me and Hemi with the glacier behind us when we got home yesterday, and her complete surprise bounces off the phone.
1:15 A.M.
Hemi got you to leave the house?! Did he kidnap you?
You look adorable. Bold of you to hike without a hat. Did you burn?
1:30 A.M.
Jamie says Hemi likes lord of the rings. Maybe there’s a tour you could do together?
Did the hike kill you?
1:31 A.M.
How’s Hemi?
10:00 A.M.
Got to South Africa all good. You better reply as soon as you wake up, or I’ll call Hemi.
I roll my eyes at the messages. All because I sent the selfie we took to prove I’d left the house and that Hemi was fine.
I type out a response.
10:10 A.M.
I’m fine, and the sun definitely got me :/ as did a lack of exercise. Hemi’s fine too, and rereading his entire e-book library. Did you know he’s read my books!!? I’ve already planned a LOTR trip for Thursday, but it’s a surprise, so don’t tell him.
I send the text and get dressed before typing out another message.
10:15 A.M.
Have you seduced Jamie yet?
Daisy is neighbours and best friends with the hooker for the team, Jamison Atoa, and is seriously in love with him but refuses to do anything about it.
10:16 A.M.
Glad it’s going well. Lmk if you need anything.
And no you dick, I haven’t seduced him. Yet. Maybe. Idk. I’ll talk to HR after the season.
No you won’t, but you should.
10:17 A.M.
You haven’t done anything with Hemi, so you can hardly say anything.
…I might have.
My cheeks heat when I send the message, remembering Hemi’s body pressed against mine in the bathtub, jasmine surrounding us, and his tongue licking my lips.
YOU DID NOT. LIAM. WHAT HAPPENED?
Nothing. Just some stuff. A bath was involved. He could give you a run for your money if you ever leave the team.
Really? I didn’t know he was interested in physio. Maybe that’s why he’s having such a hard time getting out of his head since he knows nothing’s wrong. And a bath? Really?
10:18 A.M.
Gtg but send me details!
Only if you tell Jamie how you feel.
Unsurprisingly, she doesn’t respond to my last message. Either because she had to leave before she saw it, or she’s still avoiding her feelings.
My money’s on the second one. Not that I can blame her.
I have no intention of telling Hemi how I feel.
That this isn’t a one-time thing for me or something to kill time with while he’s here.
I’d do long distance with him if he’d have me.
I’d even fly to Auckland more frequently if Hemi was there. If he wanted me there.
Watching Hemi on TV and hearing what Daisy can tell me is different than having him physically here with me.
On TV it’s just rugby, it’s about winning the game and sharing his passion with the world, and Daisy can’t exactly tell me much since she’s under contract.
The only reason I know about Hemi’s mental block with his shoulder is because the team wanted him to take time away, and Daisy knew someone with a spare room outside of Auckland they could trust.
But having him here with his personality and quiet way of taking care of me, his interest in me and my writing and fucking Boromir…that’s harder to ignore. To pretend it isn’t just a crush on someone from TV.
It’s real. And if he’d have me, I’d go wherever he was. But he probably wouldn’t want someone like me dragging him down.
And that’s fine.
I just need to stop thinking about having him around for good.
Discussing the books we read, watching rugby when it’s on, maybe going on easier hikes so I can keep up. The fact I’m wishing about doing another hike with him means I’m already over the edge.
I sigh and rub my forehead. Oh well. Once the season’s over, Daisy can come pick up the pieces of my heart and make sure I eat while I write.
I pad to the kitchen, and my thick socks mask the sound so Hemi doesn’t notice me. A small smile spreads across my face, and I bite my lip.
He’s in workout gear, and his long-sleeve T-shirt clings to him with damp patches on his chest and back. His mullet is disheveled, the chestnut strands stick up in places and flat against his head in others as if he’d run his hand through one patch of his hair and missed the others.
A pan is in one hand, a spatula in the other, and he’s pushing around fried eggs—more than I knew could fit in the pan—and fried bacon rests on the bench on two plates.
“Did you leave me cold in bed to go on a run in the middle of winter?” I ask, coming to stand beside him and peer into the pan.
Without putting any of the utensils down, Hemi turns to me and says, “Morning, darling,” and pecks me on the lips. “I was feeling motivated when I woke up so I did some of my usual workout routine.”
I frown. “I thought you were supposed to be taking a break? Does Daisy know? The other trainers?” Do I need to text her and tell her Hemi is doing his workout again? Is it any different from hiking?
Hemi puts the cooking utensils down and rests his hands on my hips, careful not to get his sweaty clothes on me. “I’m feeling good. Really good, and I wanted to ease back in and see what happened. It was”—he shakes his head and grins—“amazing. Everything felt…normal.”
I rub my thumbs over his wrists. “Hemi, that’s great. But don’t push anything.” I glare at him until he nods. “Good. Now, is there a reason you have a dozen eggs in the pan?”
“I’m hungry and you need food, too.” He takes the pan off the stove and piles eggs onto both of our plates. He’s greatly overestimated how much I eat compared to him.
We eat at the round table, watching birds flit between trees as we nudge our feet together.
When I finish most of my plate, I sit back in my chair and stare at Hemi. The weak light coming through the window touches his hair, and when he meets my eyes, his hazel ones glow.
“What do you want to do today?” he asks before putting the last forkful of food in his mouth. I nudge my plate closer to him, and he shifts my remaining food to his plate.
“Want to see my plotting cave?”
Hemi pauses with the fork halfway to his mouth and lowers it, eggs dropping to the plate. “You’re serious?”
I nod and tap my fingers on the table. “If you want to.” No one’s been in my office before. Not even Daisy. Well, not since she helped paint it. It’s my haven. Filled with my chaotic notes and leftover copies of books, with posters on the walls and random scribbles on my whiteboard.
I wouldn’t invite Hemi in unless I wanted him to stay.
“Fuck yes, I want to see your office.” Hemi grins and leans forward. “Are you serious?” I nod again and smile at his enthusiasm, and my fingers stop tapping on the table. “Sweet. Let me finish eating, and let’s do it.” Hemi fills his fork and inhales food.
My eyebrows raise, and I place a hand over his before he can stuff more food in his mouth. “There isn’t an expiration date on the invitation. Slow down, otherwise you’ll choke.”
Hemi swallows and smiles sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m excited.”
“I am, too.” I stroke his hand with my thumb.
“New plan. I’ll eat like an adult, then shower, then look at your office.”
“Sounds good.” I release his hand so he can finish eating, and this time he eats a comfortable portion of food and chews properly before swallowing.
Hemi finishes his food and launches himself off the chair and crosses to the hall before turning back and kissing me. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay,” I mumble with my eyes still closed, the taste of him in my mouth. I open them to watch his ass disappear down the hall and stand to clean the kitchen.
By the time I’ve stacked the dishwasher and scrubbed the pans, Hemi walks into the kitchen wearing a soft-looking tracksuit in dark grey and slings an arm around my hips.
“Are you ready to show me?”
“Are you ready to see the mess that is my cave?” I ask, taking his hand and leading him to my office.
“Try and stop me.”
I stop in front of the closed door, drop Hemi’s hand, take a deep breath, and twist the door open. I shift so Hemi can walk through first.
Hemi glances at me before taking a cautious step into the room. His caution doesn’t last long, and he moves deeper into the room, turns in a circle, and grins. “It’s green. And there’s paper…everywhere.” He turns to face me, eyes crinkled. “I love it.”
I lean against my desk and cross my arms, glancing around the room, trying to see what he does.
What someone seeing this for the first time would feel.
The room is colour-drenched in a dark green with a window in front of the desk letting in light.
Despite what Daisy thinks, I don’t completely avoid sunlight.
The desk takes up most of the room and is covered in paper with my laptop buried under it somewhere.
Notebooks dot the room, some piled on the floor, and there are shelves of books covering the right wall.
Filled with my special editions and paperbacks, and my favourite books by other authors, books I’ve been collecting since I had the space to do so.
My collection doesn’t fit in the lounge anymore.
My whiteboard covers some of the shelves, but unlike when Hemi first arrived, I don’t try to hide it.