Page 97 of Not Safe For Work

“If you’re sure,” I murmur, more excited about driving than I want to let on.

“Positive.” He kisses my cheek before stretching out of bed and cracking his neck. “Yeah, let’s get out of here.”

Gavin doesn’t saymuch on the way back to the city, just a thirty-second tutorial on the nuances of his motorcycle. He’sdefinitely been downplaying how bad he feels. I can tell by the way he grips my middle the entire ride.

I drive us straight to his apartment. It’s a nice enough day that I can walk home, and I want him to get back to bed as quickly as possible. To my surprise, he tugs my hand to pull me through the door with him.

“Stay with me for a bit?”

“Okay.”

He immediately shuts off all the lights and grabs some medicine from an orange bottle in the kitchen. He must notice my eyes tracking him.

“Just a migraine. Will you lay down with me?”

I look around for Gabby since I’m wondering what the protocol is here. If he gets migraines often, maybe there’s something I should be doing to help him. But the place is empty.

“Want me to grab Churro?” I ask.

“Yeah. Just put him in the sling first. He gets scared when he’s out of the cage and not wrapped up.”

Carefully, I pick up my favorite hedgehog and give him a little smooch. “Hey, Chunk.” He titters back at me, and I hope it means he likes me. I slide him into the sling and wrap it over my shoulders. By the time I turn around, Gavin’s already in bed.

“You’re sure you don’t wanna be alone?”

“Why would I want to be alone if I could be with you?”

Gavin has already propped up his pillows in the perfect position. I carefully fold myself into the bed, making sure Churro is protected and happy.

We lay there for a few heartbeats without saying anything, and then Gavin really surprises me.

“Can you play some of that French music you like?”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s relaxing. Just keep it low.”

I let the music play on my phone and lay it at the foot of the bed. Churro must like the music too because I can feel him start to purr. I had no idea hedgehogs did that.

“I like this one,” Gavin says softly during the second song. “It’s perfect for you.”

“Why do you think that?” I whisper back.

“It’s about a girl who doesn’t realize how amazing she is.”

For a second, I’m stunned. Maybe the drugs are giving him loose lips, or maybe after last night we crossed an invisible barrier where we can say whatever we’re feeling.A girl who doesn’t realize how amazing she is. Gavin makes me feel amazing, he makes me feel a lot of things. And here I thought the song was about a puzzle. That’s the name anyway.

Wait a second…

“Do you speak French, Scottie?”

“I used to. A little bit. Gabby’s fluent.” He mumbles the words as he turns his face into the pillow, pressing in closer to me. “I’ve been practicing.” I remember now, him and Gabby explaining her affinity for languages at game night. That Gavin did speak French at one point, that Gabby still does.

He extends an arm to rest over me but instead, lays a hand on my breast…and squeezes.

“Umm, Scottie?” I ask, stunned.

“It’s my security boob. It helps my head,” is all the explanation he provides.

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