14. Wes
Chapter fourteen
Wes
“I’m back,” I yell as I step into my condo an hour or so later.
“Hey,” Hadley says, walking into the kitchen, her blonde hair wet, presumably from what I hope was a relaxing bath she took while I was gone.
I took my time at the store to give her extra time alone. It broke my heart earlier to see her so upset and then shut down when I tried to help. I know we’re not genuinely together, but I did want to do whatever I could to make her feel better. She’s my friend after all.
“Did you buy the whole store?” She tips her chin at all the bags on the kitchen counter.
“Just a few essentials.” I start unpacking everything.
“The tea, ice cream, and chocolate you requested. Plus, I grabbed a bottle of Advil and a heating pad. Madison said this is the one she’d recommend.
” I hold up the box. “I wasn’t sure if you had one.
” Her mouth hangs open. Shit, I hope I didn’t overstep.
I wanted her to be comfortable, but maybe I’m really making her uncomfortable.
Shit. I’m about to tell her I can take it back when she finally speaks.
“That was sweet of you.”
“Of course. If you need me to run out and get anything else, I will.”
“Thanks. I think I’m good. And if I’m not, I can just go get it. I do have a car now.”
I step closer to her, and I tell myself it’s so I can unpack the groceries, but honestly, I want to be near her.
“I know. But who wants to go out when they don’t feel good?”
“I appreciate it. Let me know how much I owe you. For dinner too,” she rushes out.
“Nothing.”
“Weston Gabriel.”
I chuckle. I should tell her my middle name. It seems only fair. But I kind of like this game, and I enjoy seeing her riled up because I know hers and she doesn’t know mine.
“Not my middle name. But good try, Hadley Jane.”
“Fine. But next time, I’ll buy dinner.”
“With my credit card,” I say, putting the ice cream in the freezer.
“Otherwise, no, you won’t.” She crosses her arms but doesn’t respond.
“Chocolate in the fridge?” I hold up the three bars I grabbed at the store.
Did I go overboard? Maybe. But who cares.
Chocolate is good for the soul. Especially when you don’t feel well.
“Yes. Room temperature chocolate is gross.” She shudders.
A woman after my own heart.
I unpack the rest of the groceries. I grabbed a few other necessities so I don’t have to put in a grocery order for a few more days. Once everything is put away, we take the pizza to the kitchen table and start eating.
After I’ve eaten a slice, I clear my throat, wiping my hands on a napkin.
“My agent called when I was on my way home from Publix. He wants to meet with us tomorrow at two thirty. Does that work for you?”
“That’s fine. What should I wear?”
“Whatever you want. It’s nothing formal. He just wants to talk about these offers and meet you. Make sure you wear your ring.” I noticed she didn’t have it on when I came home earlier.
“Okay.”
“I’ll probably go work out in the morning. Nothing too long, though, since we need to leave here by two.”
“I’ll be ready.”
I take another slice of pizza out of the box and set it on my plate. “Sutton cornered me at the arena …”
“Oh?”
I fiddle with my napkin before relaying what Sutton asked earlier. “So, what do you think?”
She tilts her head, studying me. “Seems silly that anyone would care, but if it’s going to help you and the team.” She shrugs. “I’m game.”
“Okay. I’ll let her know.”
Mentally, I’m jumping up and down because this means I get to take her out on a date. Yes, it’s for PR, and it’s fake, but I still get to spend time with her. I need to make this date so amazing that she agrees to go out with me again, when it isn’t for social media content.
We finish eating our dinner in silence, comfortable silence though, as if we’ve been together for a while. Nothing with Hadley so far has felt awkward. It’s as if we were always meant to be. If only she felt that way too, but I’m hopeful that we’ll get there.
“Ready to watch a movie?”
“Just about.”
“What do you want to watch?” I ask before shoving the rest of my pizza into my mouth.
“Whatever,” she says.
“Not going to work, Hadley. Just like dinner, I want to know what you’re in the mood for.”
She takes a bite of her food, watching me while she chews.
She swallows and takes a drink of water.
Is she stalling? Hoping I’ll cave? I have no problem waiting for her to reply.
I can be stubborn when I want to be. And right now, I want to know her answer.
I want to know more about her. I want to know everything about her.
I have always wanted to know anything she’s willing to tell me.
And now we’re fake engaged, I have an excuse as to why.
“I enjoy rom-coms. The early two-thousands ones. I’m sure you’re not interested in them,” she says before putting the last of her dinner into her mouth.
I wipe my hands on a napkin. Doesn’t she know I’m a romantic at heart? Those movies are my guilty pleasure. One the guys don’t know about because I know I won’t hear the end of it.
“Come on,” I say, getting to my feet and walking into the living room. She trails behind me. I walk over to the TV stand and pull open one of the drawers. “I’m honestly surprised you haven’t found this. Unless you did, and you’re being polite.”
“Weston,” Hadley gasps, peering over my shoulder at the drawer full of nineties and early two-thousands rom-coms. “You were holding out on me.” She puts her hands over her heart in mock outrage.
“I didn’t know you were an aficionado. And I couldn’t out myself. So, what do you want to watch? I’m sure I’ve got it here.”
“Oh, so many choices. How does one choose?” She scans the available titles while I watch her.
Is it fate that we both like the same kind of movies? I’ve never told any of the few other women I’ve dated about my preference for rom-coms. Couldn’t tell you why. But there’s something about Hadley that makes me want to bare my soul to her.
“How about How to Lose A Guy in Ten Days?”
“Classic,” I say, grabbing the DVD and handing it to her. “I’ll clean up in the kitchen. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable on the couch?”
“I can help.”
I shake my head and point to the couch, which is currently covered in what appears to be every blanket and sweatshirt she owns, before I head into the kitchen to clean up and grab us drinks.
Ten minutes later, I take a seat next to where she’s wrapped in her fuzzy blanket, the other blankets and clothes piled on the floor in the corner.
I bite my tongue to keep from asking her to put them away because she doesn’t feel good, and the last thing I want to do is be a nag.
Instead, I flip the light off so I don’t have to see the mess and start the movie.
Halfway through, I peer over at her and frown at the sight. She’s twisted into a pretzel, lying down in a tiny space on the couch. I pick up the remote and hit pause.
“Are you comfortable like that?”
“Not really.”
Damn. Now I wish I had a bigger couch so she could spread out.
“I swear I’m not trying to put the moves on you, but I have a TV in my room. We can watch the rest of the movie there so you can stretch out on the bed … if you want.”
She sighs, and now I’m second-guessing my offer. Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested it, but I want her to be comfortable, and she sure as hell doesn’t seem to be right now.
“Okay,” she says, sitting up.
I take the DVD out of the player, she grabs her blanket, and we head into my bedroom. I put the movie in while she gets situated on the bed. She keeps to one side and stays on top of the comforter, pulling her blanket over her. I take my spot on the other side and turn the movie back on.
When the credits roll, I realize she’s sound asleep.
I reach over and turn on the bedside light, then shut off the TV.
I should wake her and tell her to go to her own bed, right?
But what happens if she’s like me, and once she wakes up, that’s it, she won’t fall back to sleep.
I’d hate to be the reason she doesn’t sleep well.
With a shake of my head, I walk into my bathroom, closing the door behind me, and go about my nightly routine of taking my contacts out and brushing my teeth. I keep expecting to hear her moving around, waking up and realizing she isn’t in her bed. Leaving quietly. But that doesn’t happen.
I walk out of the bathroom and stare at her sleeping form, willing her to wake up so I don’t have to make the decision of what to do.
On one hand, I want to wake her so she doesn’t get angry at me when she finds out I didn’t.
Or embarrassed. Although there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.
On the other hand, I don’t want to disturb her sleep.
But what if she has a nightly routine she needs to do?
Or medication she takes at night? Shit. What am I supposed to do?
I pace at the end of the bed for a few seconds.
“Hadley.” I shake her gently.
“Mmmm.”
“Hadley Jane, wake up. You fell asleep.”
“So what? It’s nighttime. Let me sleep,” she mumbles, rolling over onto her side and pulling the blanket up to her chin.
Well. I tried.
Should I sleep on the couch? I glance over my shoulder toward the living room. Nah, fuck that. This bed is big enough for the both of us.
I pull off my shirt, set my glasses on the nightstand, climb under the covers, and turn off the bedside light, bathing my bedroom in darkness. The only sound is her quiet snores.
I lie rigidly on my side, willing myself to fall asleep quickly.
Get it together, Wes.
I steady my breathing and force myself to think about something calming, like ocean waves. I should get a sound machine. Maybe it’ll help me get to sleep faster. I worked out and skated today, for hours. I should be tired. I think I’m too keyed up because Hadley is in my bed.
Hadley’s in my bed.
Tomorrow is going to be interesting.
Eventually, my body relaxes, and I fall asleep.
Why is the heat on? Did I forget to turn on the fan last night?
Blinking open my eyes, I realize why I’m so hot. Because in the middle of the night, Hadley and I ended up cuddled together. She’s still lying on top of the comforter, but her blanket is over both of us now.
I hold my breath, hoping she’s still asleep. Her even breathing is all the confirmation I need. I move my arm, which is wrapped around her waist. Thank god I didn’t wake up cupping her tits or, much worse, her pussy. And now I’m thinking about Hadley’s tits and pussy.
Fuck me.
Focus, Weston.
When she doesn’t move, I scoot backward until I’m lying on the edge of the bed. Only then do I sit up and grab my phone, noting that it’s already late into the morning.
Shit.
I had planned to be done with my workout by now.
I grab my glasses and shove them on, then climb out of bed, saying a silent prayer that she stays asleep because I definitely don’t have time to talk this through with her and get a workout in before I need to be back here to get ready for our meeting with John.
It’s not until I’m in the kitchen fixing myself breakfast that I fully think about everything that happened last night.
I like Hadley. There’s no two ways about it. I’ve always liked her. Since the first day I met her.
I’m so conflicted. The last thing I want to do is make things awkward between us if I tell her I like her for real and she doesn’t feel the same way, especially because we agreed to see this through for the rest of the summer.
I’ll just have to keep my true feelings hidden for now.