Page 28 of One Last Run

Danica looked at her for another long moment, shaking her head, the spoon held in her mouth. She paused, placing the spoon back in the bowl. "You made me realize what I didn't want."

Pete felt like she'd just been punched in the gut. Her heart sank. "Oof, Wendell. I'm glad I could help you with that, but ouch."

Danica's mouth fell open in horrified realization. "No, not like that. I meant..." She gestured while trying to gather her thoughts, concern on her face.

"What did you mean?"

"Wait, please don’t be upset. Can I start over?" Danica said in a rush. In the low light, Pete could tell she was flushed.

Pete was torn between dropping the subject to saving Danica's pride and her intense curiosity to know what Danica actually meant. Judging by the way she had reacted, Pete guessed that Danica hadn’t meant to insult her, but she didn't want to speculate about what Danica could have actually meant.

In the end, she crossed her arms over her chest in what she hoped was a good impression of being stern. The mood needed lightening immediately. "Nope, I'm offended until proven otherwise," she said with a long inhale and shake of her head.

Danica watched her as though deciding what to say. "I don’t want to get into it."

Pete narrowed her eyes in faux-contemplation. "I don't believe you," she said. It didn't seem like she was going to get an answer out of Danica tonight, but she hoped to learn more later. Despite Danica's seemingly unaffected demeanor following her breakup with Eddie, Pete could remain a good friend, even though the word friend had always had a loose definitionbetween the two of them. What was one more blurred boundary? She turned to grab the remote. "You still like bad reality TV?"

Danica nodded, stifling a smile. "Guilty.”

They sat in silence as Real Housewives played on the lowest volume possible on the TV. Pete was aware of every move and shift of Danica’s body Danica, even though there was an entire couch cushion between them. As they were watching a particularly silly argument between two rich women, Pete shivered and began looking around for another throw blanket. It seemed like Danica had the only one. What kind of mountain condo only had one throw blanket? She supposed she could get up and turn on the gas fireplace, but she wasn't sure how loud that would be, and Kiera's room was just on the other side of the wall.

"We can share this one," Danica said, pointing to the blanket covering her legs.

"Oh, that's okay," Pete replied, not wanting to make Danica uncomfortable.

"It's fine. I don't mind at all," Danica said, her tone light as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Pete shifted, lifting the edge of the blanket and placing it over her lap gingerly.

"I'll listen if you want to talk about it, you know," Pete said, not looking away from the screen. She could see Danica glance up at her from the corner of her eye.

"Thanks," Danica said quietly, adjusting the blanket so there was more coverage on Pete's lap. “Just… I’m not ready for everyone to know just yet, okay?”

“Of course,” Pete answered. Why didn’t Danica want their friends to know she’d broken up with Eddie? Was she afraid they’d judge her? After moving closer together to share the blanket, Pete could feel how tense Danica was.

Pete wished there was something she could do to help relieve the hurt Danica must be feeling. Even the hurt to her ego alone, being broken up withby a dentist, and such a boring one at that. Especially brutal. Even while wanting to support and be present for Danica, she couldn't stop thinking about that near-kiss. Danica had wanted to kiss her, she was sure of it. She could feel the heat of Danica's body, could feel her thigh through her thin pajama pants. It was like her body was on high-alert, noticing every shift in Danica's movement. She couldn’t not notice her.

Pete took a deep breath and forced herself to relax, letting her head rest against the back of the couch as another episode came on. Bless Real Housewives, there was no shortage of content to enjoy.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed before Danica's soft snores began. To make Danica more comfortable, she shifted Danica's head and propped it up with a small throw pillow against the arm of the couch until the snoring stopped, grinning about how adorable it was that Danica had fallen asleep. She remembered the hours she’d spend in the late nights and early mornings, watching Danica sleep so peacefully, and her nostalgia ached for that easier time. Her own body felt heavy and warm and there was no way she was making her way back down into the freezing basement where the bunk beds were. Pete tucked her hands into her hoodie pocket and let her heavy eyelids close, feeling more content than she had in a long time.

CHAPTER 11

DANICA

Somethingcold and wet startled Danica awake, and she opened her eyes to find that the cold and wet thing in question was Pete. Worse, it was a massive drool spot on Pete's shoulder, where her head had just been. She was so sore and so stiff; she could barely move. Well, that, and Pete's arm was wrapped around her, their legs entwined. She assured herself that they'd probably ended up in this position for warmth under the thinnest throw blanket in the Rocky Mountain region, but that didn't make it less startling.

She’d said a little too much the night before. Had she still been a bit drunk when Pete had come into the living room? Of all the people for her to confess to, why had she told Pete about her and Eddie?

Pete looked so peaceful like this, her cheek squished adorably against the back of the couch. It was annoying how attractive Pete had remained, how she still had high cheekbones and a perfect jaw, with only small wrinkles at the edges of her eyes, like she smiled enough to create permanent reminders of her joy.Freckles smattered across her nose and cheeks, barely visible except for the fact that Danica was looking at her from three inches away.

"Stop staring at me, Wendell," Pete murmured, her eyes still closed.

Danica startled. "I wasn't."

Pete's eyes fluttered open, heavy lidded, as she looked up at Danica. "It's not time to wake up yet," she said, sleepily wrapping her arm tighter around Danica's shoulders to draw her in. "You're so warm." Pete nuzzled Danica’s neck, sending a jolt of ticklish pleasure through her body. Her toes may or may not have curled, but that could have also been from how cold the room remained.

Ignoring the way her heart was fluttering, Danica placed a hand on Pete's chest to create some room for herself. "We fell asleep on the couch. We should go back to our rooms before anyone notices." She tried to pitch her voice low while also attempting to aim her morning breath anywhere but at Pete.

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