Page 77 of The Purest Fake

Realizing how intimate our position is, she starts to pull away. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to use you as a pillow.”

I tighten my arm around her, keeping her close. “Don’t apologize. It was nice.”

She relaxes against me again, her hand resting on my chest. “How’s your shoulder feeling?”

“Sore,” I admit. “But having you here helps.”

A sleepy smile spreads across her face. “Glad I could help.” She props her chin on her hands, looking up at me. “Do you need anything? Pain meds? Ice?”

I shake my head. “No, I’m good for now. Just... Can we stay like this for a little while longer?”

“Of course we can.” She settles back against me, her head resting high on my chest. The familiar scent of her shampoo teases my nostrils, and I breathe in deeply. Closing my eyes, I relish the warmth of her body fitting perfectly against mine like a missing puzzle piece. Everything else fades away—the worries, the pain in my shoulder—as I find peace in the quiet intimacy of holding her. And the two of us lying here together is intimate in a way I’ve never experienced before.

After a few minutes of quiet, Scarlett props herself up on an elbow. “You know, I was thinking about your injury last night. Maybe this is an opportunity in disguise.”

“How do you figure?”

“Well, you’ve been so focused on football, as you should be, but now that you have some unplanned free time, maybe you could explore other interests.”

“I’m hoping I won’t be out more than a week or two.”

She nods. “I know, but you’re so used to having every minute of your day planned out, I think you might lose your mind with so much free time.”

“Might?” I laugh. “That’s a given.”

She tips her head and shrugs. “Well… I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

“So what were you referencing when you mentioned me exploring other interests?”

“I was thinking the two of us could try some new activities together?”

“Such as?”

“I haven’t come up with any specific ideas. That would depend on what you’d like to do. And it doesn’t even need to be something you want to try for the first time. Or we can do some sight seeing. Unless you did that when you first moved here.”

I shake my head. “I didn’t even have a chance.”

“Then that’s a possibility too.”

“I’d like that.”

Her eyes brighten with excitement. “How would you feel about being a guest on my podcast this week?”

I wasn’t expecting that. “For real?”

“Yep.”

“What would I have to do?”

“Just converse with me. You can say whatever you want. I’ve got a wrestler from World Class Wrestling on the schedule too.”

I find myself nodding. “I’d love to be on your podcast. Thank you for asking me.”

“Of course. Having you as a guest is going to make my ratings go through the roof.”

“I hope that’s the case but I’m skeptical. I’m not as well-known as Rogan, Griffin, and Thor. You should have them on sometime too.”

She looks up at the ceiling and shakes her head. “You underestimate your fame.”

---