Page 39 of Golden Goal

“Are you sure?” I set the dirty dishes on the counter next to the sink.

“Definitely. You go feed your daughter. I’ll clean up here, then pop over to my apartment to feed Peaches, and put the leftovers away.” She pauses, glancing around. “Unless you want to keep them?”

“Nah. I appreciate it though.” I quickly make Hazel’s bottle before going to get her settled for the night.

Thirty minutes later I’m creeping silently out of my bedroom, where Hazel is now sleeping. I stutter to a halt in the entrance to the living room, my heart pounding at the sight in front of me. Becca is sitting on one end of the couch peering down at her phone, her legs tucked up under her, and the blanket my sister keeps on the back of the couch draped over her lap.

She looks as if she belongs.

I take a deep breath, pushing that thought away. She’s a friend. Nothing more. She can’t ever be more.

“What should we watch?” I ask, stepping fully into the room and taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch. I grab the remote and pull up one of the streaming services. I’m scrolling through the Movies section when she leans over and puts a hand on my arm to stop me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like that she’s touching me. It’s completely innocent, but I like it.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

She’s my physical therapist.

I’ve sworn off relationships.

It’s getting harder and harder to remember those things the more time I spend with her.

“Wait, they have all the Bond movies on here.”

I sit up straighter. “You like James Bond too?”

Her face lights up. “My dad and I used to watch them together when I came home from college. It was kind of our thing since my brother didn’t care for them.”

I store away the nugget of information that she has a brother, hoping maybe she’ll share more with me.

“Do you have a favorite?” I gesture toward the television. “They have all of them on here.”

“You Only Live Twice is one of my favorites. I haven’t seen it in a while.”

In answer, I scroll over to it and click Play. “It’s one of my favorites too,” I murmur as the opening scene starts.

As the movie plays, it’s as if we’re magnets drawn to each other because we get closer and closer. I can’t be certain who moves first, but by the time Bond starts fighting Blofeld, the baddie, we’re so close that Becca’s thigh pushes against mine as she tenses during the fight scene.

I shouldn’t like it as much as I do.

I know I shouldn’t.

But I do.

I’m a weak man.

Nothing wrong with enjoying her leg against mine. Nothing else is happening between us. It’s innocent.

She stiffens next to me, gripping my arm.

“You alright?” I whisper.

She about jumps out of her seat at my question before shooting me a glare, her hand on her chest.

The laugh that was threatening to fall dies on my lips when I realize how close we are. The television gives off a tiny bit of light, enough that I can make out her eyes, pupils blown wide.

I can’t stop staring at her.

My gaze wanders to her mouth.