Page 58 of More For Me

I want to lean against him as he leads me out of the living room, but I hold myself back. I’m afraid if I let myself lean on him, I won’t ever be able to stand again. So I follow him down the hall to the little screened in porch off the back of the house, determined to stand on my own two feet.

“Here we go.” He helps me down to the floor—he was right, this rug is really soft—and then sits beside me, leaning back against the couch. I bring my legs up to my chest and wrap my arms around my knees.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

His gaze snaps over to me. “Why are you sorry? I’m the one who was the asshole.”

“I forced my way into your family dinner when you didn’t want me.”

“Lele, Jesus, it wasn’t like that.”

“And now you have to sit in here with me,” I go on, ignoring him. “Because I’m sad. I made it about me when it’s supposed to be your sad night.”

He laughs. “Do you seriously think I’m mad because you’re—what? Stealing my sad thunder? Come on.” He nudges my shoulder with his. “And I don’t have to sit in here with you. I’m in here because I want to be.”

“I drank way too much,” I confess. “I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot. I drank too much, too.”

I squint my eyes at him. “You don’t seem as drunk as me.”

That familiar, beautiful grin of his illuminates the whole room as it spreads across his face. “That’s because you’re a light-weight.”

“You’re so pretty,” I sigh, finally giving into the urge to rest my head against his shoulder. I think his body tenses but everything is feeling too confusing right now to know for sure. A moment later, he shifts, pulling out his phone and typing a quick message.

“What was that?”

“Leo is going to bring us some water and a few sandwiches.”

“Okay.” I close my eyes. “I’m pretty sleepy now.”

“Try to stay awake with me, okay, Lele? I want you to eat first.”

“Okay.” But it feels so nice to keep my eyes closed. Leo’s yummy cologne scent is all around me, just like that night he helped me with my necklace. Sitting with my head on him like this, I can feel the steady inhale and exhale of breath moving through his body.

“Don’t leave, okay?” I whisper.

I feel the warm pressure of his lips against the top of my head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

* * *

I wake up disoriented,my head pounding, mouth bone-dry and sour-tasting. I’m not sitting up against the couch anymore. Instead I’m sprawled out over the rug, and someone has covered me with a blanket. But Bodhi is still here. I know it before I even turn my head.

“I fell asleep,” I grumble.

“I noticed. How do you feel?”

“Uh…not great.”

He laughs, but it sounds pained. “Same.”

I try to sit up, worried I’m hurting his shoulder with my head like this, but he pulls me back down. “Let’s just stay like this for a minute, okay? My head is pounding.”

“How long were we asleep?”

“Couple hours. It’s pretty late.”

Someone must have turned off the overhead light, because the room is pitch dark. The rest of the house is quiet, the party apparently having died down since we came in here. I have a flash of myself sitting in the middle of the living room floor, and let out a groan.