Page 34 of My Ex for Christmas
I roll to my side and tuck my hand under my cheek, simply watching him. He might always be on me about working too hard, but it’s clear when he’s asleep just how much tension he holds in his body when he’s awake.
Sleep is the only time he can get away from the pressure he feels to help provide for his mom and sisters. And I hate that he feels that way, but the care he has for his family is part of why I fell for him in the first place.
God, he’s sogood.He makes me want to do better. Be better.
“Are you finished staring or should I go back to pretending I’m asleep?” Brooks asks, cracking his eyes open.
I groan, rolling onto my back. “I wasn’t staring.”
He reaches out and grabs my hip, turning me to face him again. “Don’t be embarrassed, Hads.” He runs a knuckle across my cheek, which I know is flaming red. “I like looking at you, too. Love it,really.”
“Yeah?”
He nods. “Always have. That’s why I bribed Jason to switch seats with me in grade nine French. I wanted to be close to you.”
My jaw drops. “You didnot. How am I just finding this out now?”
Brooks smiles. He doesn’t look one bit sorry. “I had to play it cool. Even though I had zero chill when it came to you.”
I roll my eyes, but a laugh slips out unbidden.
When I think about it too hard, doing…whatever this iswith Brooks feels strange. But if I let my brain go quiet and simply sink into the moment, it feels right. It feels like it did before the urge to leave home and never return set in.
“You good if I grab a quick shower?” he asks.
I nod. “Go for it.”
His lips stretch into a sly grin. “Wanna join me?”
As tempting as the offer is… I shake my head, pointing an accusatory finger his way. “Individual showers only because I don’t have time to be distracted this morning.”
“What a goody-two-shoes,” he teases. But he presses a kiss to my cheek, and then he rolls away from me, sauntering across to the bathroom. I watch him go shamelessly.
I tried so hard to keep my distance, but I should have known it wouldn’t be possible. Not with him.
On my nightstand, my phone starts ringing, and I curse when I see that it’s Sam. She isn’t justcallingeither—she wants to FaceTime. A quick glance over my shoulder confirms Brooks is firmly shut away in the bathroom, so I answer.
“Hey,” I say quietly.
“Morning!” Sam says. “Why are you whispering?”
I shake my head, cringing internally. “I’m not whispering.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re being weird.”
I slide out of bed, thankful that I got at least a little bit dressed last night. As in, I stole Brooks’s t-shirt. I keep the phone angled at my face so Sam doesn’t catch sight of the Dirty Dick’s logo on my chest. That would be hard to explain away.
“I’m groggy, not weird. You woke me up.”
She studies my face, and I will myself not to start sweating. I go still when she lets out a little gasp.
“You hadsex,” she accuses, but a smile spreads across her lips.
“I did not!”
She waves a hand at me. Her shit-eating grin remains. “Yeah, you did. You look tired, but you’re all relaxed and shit. Like you spent half the night getting rail?—”
“Alright, we arenotdiscussing this,” I declare, then clear my throat. “Pick something else or I’m hanging up.”
