48. Leo
Leo
“Is this dresser made out of cement? Jesus,” I mutter as I pull it across the hallway into my sister’s guest bedroom.
“It’s solid oak, not cement,” Zoey says as she struggles to move her end of it.
“It feels like cement.”
“That’s because all the furniture you own is made of particleboard.”
“At least it’s lighter.”
She rolls her eyes. We set the dresser against the wall, then stop to catch our breath.
“That’s the last thing you had to move, right?” I ask.
“Yeah. Want some food?”
“God, yes.”
She laughs, and we head downstairs to the kitchen. She opens the lid of the crockpot on her counter, and the smell of garlic and herbs fills the air.
“Oh damn, you made my favorite?” My stomach growls.
“Yup. Zuppa Toscana.”
I grab a hunk of toasted ciabatta bread, which Zoey pulled out of the oven right when I got to her house. I dip it into the broth and take a huge bite.
“Damn, that’s good.”
She laughs and shoves my shoulder. “No eating straight out of the crockpot.”
She hands me a giant bowl, and I ladle a massive serving into it. I sit down at one of the stools at the kitchen island and dig in.
She serves up a bowl for herself and sits down next to me.
“What do you think Nonna Maria would say if she knew that your favorite soup is an Olive Garden recipe and not authentic Italian at all?” Zoey teases.
I smile and shake my head.
“So how was the Halloween party last night? I’m guessing it was a rager given the fact that you waltzed in here an hour late smelling like cheap beer.”
I hold back a laugh. “You guessed right.”
“Did Lucy have a good time?”
“Yeah, I think she had fun.” I rein in my expression, hoping I don’t give anything away. After the lecture she gave me about hooking up with Lucy, I know she wouldn’t be happy to find out what happened between us.
“So, what’s Jeff up to today?” I ask, changing the subject.
I try to make my tone sound light. As much as I can’t stand the guy, I promised my sister I’d stop going after him.
“He’s at a job fair.”
“Oh. Good for him.”
She gives me a tight smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. I hate how this exchange feels between us. It’s so fake. I don’t give a shit about Jeff, and she knows that.
But if that’s what it takes to keep the peace with her, I’ll do it. She’s my sister, and I hate fighting with her.
I inhale most of the soup in the crockpot, then help Zoey load the dishwasher.
She walks me to the front door and hugs me. “Thanks again for helping me move all that furniture.”
“Anytime.”
I head out the door and down the porch steps.
“Nice hickey, by the way,” Zoey hollers.
I stop walking and exhale sharply. Shit.
I turn around. My sister looks like she’s holding back a laugh as she points to the side of her neck.
“I’m guessing that’s from Lucy?” she asks. She sounds more amused than annoyed, which surprises me.
I think about brushing it off, but Zoey can always tell when I’m lying. I nod.
She shakes her head, but she’s smiling. Like she’s disappointed and amused at what an idiot her little brother is.
“It’s not what you think, Zoey,” I say. “I like her. A lot. More than I’ve liked anyone.”
Her expression turns serious.
“Look, I know you’re gonna tell me that this is a bad idea because my friendship with Lucy is new and we’re roommates too, but this isn’t just a hookup for me. I have feelings for her.”
The last part comes out of my mouth without thinking. That’s the first time I’ve said that out loud.
The look in my sister’s eyes softens. She crosses her arms. “You’ve never said that about anyone before,” she says.
I shove my hands in my pockets. “She’s different. This thing with her is different. I’m gonna try my best not to fuck it up.”
She looks at me for a long moment. “Just be careful, okay? And be good to each other.”
I’m taken aback by the softness in her tone. I thought she was going to tell me off, but she seems happy for me.
“Thanks, Zoey.”
I walk to my car and head back home.
* * *
Coach Sawyer blows the whistle, ending practice.
“Circle up,” he hollers.
We gather around him and listen as he goes over our performance and what we need to work on.
“The effort and energy today were top-level. Well done,” Coach says. “That’s exactly what I wanna see when we play Remington on Friday.”
He dismisses us, and we head to the locker room to get cleaned up. Once I’m showered and dressed in my street clothes, I grab my backpack and head to Lucy’s office.
When I see the door is covered in pink and purple streamers, I smile.
I knock on the door, and she answers a few seconds later. That gorgeous smile I can’t get enough of spreads across her face.
“Hey. What are you doing here?”
“Practice just ended and I’ve got an hour till my next class, so I thought I’d come say hi.” I unzip my backpack and pull out a pear from my backpack. “And bring you a snack.”
Her eyes light up. She grabs the pear and takes a bite.
“How’d you know I was craving pears?”
“I overheard you and Blake talking about food cravings while you were helping him stretch in the training room yesterday.”
Warmth flickers in her eyes as she looks at me. She glances behind my shoulder. The physios’ office is right next to the training room and weight room, so there are a bunch of people milling around.
“If there weren’t a dozen people around us right now, I would kiss the hell out of you,” she whispers. “But I probably shouldn’t because I’m at work, and I want to be professional.”
“You can kiss me later. And some other stuff too, if you’re in the mood.”
I wiggle my eyebrows at her, and she shoves my shoulder, her cheeks turning red.
Ever since we hooked up last weekend, we’ve spent every night in my bed together, fucking and falling asleep with her cuddled against my chest. Every morning, I wake up with her in my arms. It’s heaven.
We still haven’t talked about how things have changed between us—how we’re not just friends anymore.
I haven’t told her that I have feelings for her.
Nerves fire off inside of me. Things are perfect right now, and I don’t want to scare her off by spilling my feelings for her.
She’s lived so much of her life in survival mode, never being able to live in the moment. I want to give her that. I want her to feel safe and comfortable around me. I don’t want her to feel pressured or like I’m expecting something more from her.
Because the truth is that I’m not. I’m happy with the way things are between us. I’ll happily stay at this pace for as long as she wants.
And I’ll keep my feelings to myself until she tells me that she’s ready for more—if she’s ever ready for more.
What if she never wants that with me?
Dread claws through my gut at the thought of this ever ending with her.
Don’t. Remember what she said? Be in the moment.
Lucy steps aside, and I walk into her office. She’s the only one there right now.
I glance over at Paula’s desk, which is covered in balloons and streamers and confetti.
“I didn’t know it was Paula’s birthday,” I say.
“I thought it would be fun to decorate her desk. And get her favorite candy.”
I notice dozens of foil-wrapped peanut butter cups all over her desk. “Paula likes peanut butter cups, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Lucy finishes her pear and tosses the core in the trash can.
“It’s really thoughtful of you to do all this for her birthday.”
Lucy just shrugs, her smile shy and soft. “She’s a great boss. And everyone deserves to be celebrated on their birthday.”
I think about how, for the past few years, Lucy didn’t get to celebrate her birthday.
Pain radiates in my chest. She deserves something huge and special for her next birthday.
But it’s the beginning of November, and her birthday isn’t until February. I don’t want to wait three months to celebrate her.
An idea pops into my head.
I turn to her. “Are you working at the diner this weekend?” I ask.
“On Sunday, but I have Saturday off. Why?”
“Don’t plan anything, okay?”
She starts to smile. “Okay…”
I walk out of the office, but she stops me.
“What’s happening on Saturday?” she asks.
I turn to her and grin. “It’s a surprise.”