Chapter 11
Grey
Kari snuggles into me, tucking herself into my side under the covers.
Her head rests on my chest as she traces shapes over my chest. The room smells faintly of sex, sweat, and a sweetness I can only attribute to how fucking lucky I am.
My fingers trail slowly through her hair, following the same path over and over.
As much as I want to stay in the moment, my conscience fights me every step of the way.
She hums softly every time I press a kiss into her hair or her temple, half-asleep and boneless. It makes my chest ache with contentment I’ve never experienced before. The kind of quiet that settles under the weight of importance.
I’ve never been good at stillness. My brain usually runs laps even when my body’s worn out. But right now, all I want to do is stay exactly like this.
And yet, I can’t. Not when a knot tightens in my chest like a vise.
My Fans page hums in the background of my life like a lifeline I need—and resent. If Kari stumbled across it without context… if she thought I was out there performing for anyone who’d pay money…
I’m not doing anything wrong. I know that. I’m not cheating. I’m not lying to her face. But there’s a difference between being innocent and lying by omission, and right now it feels like I’m holding something back.
Though we still need to talk about what we’re doing and where this is going, I’m serious about her. All in. No looking back. I don’t ever want to make her uncomfortable. Not about her body. Not about mine. Not about us.
She shifts slightly, her leg sliding over mine, and I tighten my arm around her on instinct. She sighs, nestling closer.
“You okay?” she murmurs, voice soft and drowsy.
“Yeah,” I say, brushing a kiss into her hair. “Just thinking.”
She makes a sleepy sound that could mean anything from tell me more to don’t you dare move. I take the risk.
“Remember earlier,” I say quietly, “when I asked if I could tell you something?”
“Mmmhmm,” she hums, barely opening her eyes, still running her finger in light circles against my skin.
My fingers pause in her hair for half a second before I keep going. “I, uh… I was wondering if you’d consider helping me with something.”
“Helping you how?” She lifts her head, propping her chin on my chest, eyes suddenly more awake. “Morning wood? I can help with that.”
She grins and waggles her eyebrows. And I almost take her up on the offer.
“We’ll get to that soon enough.” I chuckle, then clear my throat. I exhale slowly. “I’ve been thinking about what you said. About your business. And I was wondering if you’d maybe… consider helping me with mine.”
That wakes her up a little more.
“Your gym?” she asks.
“Eventually,” I say. “But not just that.”
She props herself up on her elbow now, studying my face with a healthy dose of curiosity. “Then what.”
“I have a side hustle,” I admit. “Right now. It helps cover costs while I save. Equipment, permits, all that fun stuff.”
Her mouth curves like she’s biting back a smile.
My stomach flips. I squint down at her. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“No reason.” She just shrugs, clearly enjoying herself. “And?” she prompts.
“And it’s… I’m not sure how you’ll feel about it.”
I stare at the ceiling for a second, choosing my words carefully. “It’s fitness adjacent. Online. People follow because they like what they see before they ever hear what I’m saying.”
She says nothing, just waits. But I notice she’s no longer tracing circles on my chest, and that doesn’t settle well with me. We’ve barely begun whatever this is between us and I’m already sabotaging it.
“I don’t like that part of it,” I continue. “I don’t want the foundation of my future to be my body. I want it to be based on trust and results. Helping people feel better about themselves—not just look at me.”
I register the rise and fall of her chest, trying to gauge the amount of damage I’ve already done.
“I want out of that lane,” I finish, quietly hopeful she’ll understand my logic. “But I don’t want to burn that bridge before I’m standing on solid ground.”
“So this side hustle,” she says. “Are you going to tell me what it is, or do I have to guess?”
Silence stretches between us
“Like I said. It’s embarrassing.” I let out a heavy sigh.
She smiles then, her eyes dancing with light. “You know, I follow this gym guru on socials. He’s got a lot of followers. A real hottie.”
Ouch. That stung.
She grabs her phone from the side table.
“Oooh, Darbs has texted me about fifteen times,” she says, then ignores the texts to open an app. “Here he is. Watch him, he’s really, really good.”
She holds the phone up and honestly, I have no interest in looking at some guy she’s just called a hottie. But she rocks the phone back and forth until I can’t ignore it any longer.
“Fine,” I groan.
I grab the phone and she giggles, watching me like a hawk with her arm across my chest and her head resting on her hand. One look and I swear the blood drains from my body. My heart hiccups before banging against my chest.
“Oh, and weird,” she says, walking her fingers over my chest to below my armpit. She runs her finger along my scar. “He’s got one of these, too.”
“You know?” I drop the phone, and she giggles so hard I think she’ll bounce us both right out of bed. I grab her and begin tickling her just to hear her laugh more. My heart is already lighter.
“Yes…yes…,” she giggles so hard her words are barely intelligible.
Now I’m laughing and getting a hard-on with all her squirming. “And you don’t mind?”
“Are you kidding? You’re using the tools you have to build the life you want. That’s genius. It’s what I’d do,” she gets out between breaths. “And for the record? You being strategic about it is very on brand. And hot.”
I laugh, relieved, pulling her closer. “You think I’m hot?”
“So hot.” She licks her fingertip, presses it to my lips and makes a sizzling noise. “But make no mistake. I love you for your brain.”
As soon as the “L” word is out of her mouth, she stills. My chest tightens, and my heart is off to the races again. Messy, loud, thumping like I’m about to free fall out of a plane without a parachute.
I sit up, gather her in my arms and pull her into my lap. “That’s a gift I never want to jeopardize.” I lift her chin and urge her closer. “I love you, Kari. You’ve always been the one for me.”
“Same,” she says, lips closing in on mine. “Pinky swear.”
And damn my heart slams against my chest. Thumping without stopping as I lose myself in her kiss. When her lips stop moving and she bolts upright, I realize something’s wrong. And the banging hasn’t stopped.
“Someone’s at the door,” Kari says, her voice high-pitched, panicked.
Kari
I bolt upright, the sheet tangling around my legs as I scramble off the bed. My heart beats so hard it feels like I might crack a rib. Eleven in the morning. Who shows up unannounced at eleven? My parents? No—Dad would text first. Kelly’s too busy planning. And Darby’s in Chicago—
Oh my God. Something’s happened.
My phone lies face down on the bed. I grab it, the screen lighting up with a flood of missed notifications. Texts. Calls. Voicemails. All from Darby.
Crap. Crap. Crap.
I scoop up my clothes with one arm, wrapping the sheet tighter around my body as I trip my way into Grey’s bathroom. The last thirteen hours of making love and canoodling with the love of my life over. Poof.
Love. We said it. Out loud. That alone should be enough to knock me flat.
Grey pulls on his boxers, moving fast and focused. He presses a quick kiss to my forehead as he passes me.
“I’ve got this,” he says as he hurries from the room.
Does he? Because I very much do not.
I wrestle into my leggings, hop on one foot, nearly faceplant, then yank on my tank top.
My hands shake as I rake my fingers through my hair, trying to tame it into something resembling presentable.
My reflection in the mirror is flushed, wild-eyed, unmistakably…
post-something that looks nothing like a gym workout.
The knocking comes louder.
“I’m coming,” Grey calls.
I freeze, one hand braced on the dresser, my breath caught somewhere between panic and resolve. I can’t see the door from here, but I hear it open. And then—
“It’s about time,” Darby’s voice says, sharp and way too close. “I’ve been banging for five minutes. What are you doing, bro? It’s like eleven in the morning. Do you ever answer your phone?”
My stomach drops to my feet.
“Darby?” Grey says, and he does a terrible job hiding his surprise. “What—what are you doing here? I thought you were in—”
“Chicago,” she cuts in. “Yeah. So did I. Turns out internships suck and couches are overrated.” She keeps talking, breathless, like she always does when she’s wound up.
“I would’ve gone to Kari’s, but she’s not answering her phone, which is weird.
And I wasn’t about to barge in on her parents.
That house is already a pressure cooker. ”
Footsteps cross the living room.
My heart pounds so loudly I’m sure they can hear it through the walls. Every fear I have flashes through me at once—losing my best friend, her thinking I betrayed her, that I crossed some invisible line I can’t uncross.
But then something else cuts through the noise. I don’t regret this. Not the night. Not the words. Not Grey.
I smooth my hair again, slower this time, and straighten my shoulders. I don’t want to hide. I don’t want to be a secret tucked away behind a closed door.
Darby’s still talking. “And I can’t go back to my old place with Lola and Logan. Three’s a crowd. If you know, you know.”
“I… I do know,” Grey says, and there’s hesitation there now. A pause. “Darbs, I kind of—uh—I kind of have someone here.”
Everything goes quiet.
My breath catches, but this time it isn’t panic that fills my chest. Okay, maybe a little panic. This situation isn’t something Grey and I had the chance to discuss.
I glance down at myself, making sure everything’s covered, and take a deep breath. Whatever comes next, I’m not shrinking. I’m not running. Grey and I are standing in this together.
I reach for the bedroom door handle.