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I go to the coffee table and put down all of the stuff I brought with me before going to the armchair and trying to pull it closer to sofa unsuccessfully. Who would have thought that old thing is so heavy?

“What are you doing, Amelia?” Derek laughs behind me.

“I’m trying to move this damn thing,” I mutter, frustrated. “Don’t you laugh at me!”

“Why are you trying to move it?”

“So that we can watch the show, obviously.”

“Obviously,” he agrees. “You noticed this couch right here is big enough for both of us to sit comfortably and watch the show, right? Hell, I even think Ace can fit with us.”

“Yeah, but…” I start to protest. I can’t sit next to him. Every time he’s coaxed me into coming to sit closer to him we ended up doing things we shouldn’t do.

“Sit down, Lia.” His voice is stern and doesn’t leave room for discussion.

Sighing in defeat, I sit next to him, scooting to the corner and leaving big, empty space between us.

“If you go any further you’ll fall off the couch. Besides, if you don’t come closer, there’s no way I’ll get to see anything.”

I reluctantly agree with him, so I move a bit closer. Leaning forward, I take his soda and give it to him. I also open and put a bag of chips between us. It isn’t much, but it’s a barrier no matter how weak and insignificant.

Putting laptop on my lap, I turn it on and press play. The show starts running where it left off before he interrupted me, and we watch it.

I don’t even know how much time passes. One episode turns into two and then two into three and then four, until I stop counting.

“Those two…” Derek points at the screen. “They are crazy. Completely crazy.”

“They are entertaining and witty.”

“They are a handful,” he disagrees.

“They …” words get stuck in my mouth.

When did he come so close? Only mere inches separate us.

I can feel his hot breath on my cheeks. His scent—something fresh and spicy—surrounds us.

It’s yummy.

Intoxicating.

His smell surrounds me until he’s the only thing I can breathe.

Leaning into him just slightly, I inhale slowly enjoying the way his scent fills my lungs.

Now that I’m not concentrating on the show, I can feel his body pressed against my side, his hand draped over my shoulders while his fingers caress soft skin and play with a strand of my hair.

Lola is still sleeping in his lap while he rubs her head from time to time, and he doesn’t seem to mind it much. After a while, Ace moves closer and falls asleep under my feet.

“What are we doing?” I breathe softly.

* * *

Derek

“I don’t know what you mean,” I mutter not moving my eyes off of her.

“You. Me. What are we doing?”

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