Page 37 of Cloudless
The stream flies in slow motion toward Lila’s pristine, white dress like it's caught her heat signature.
Lila slowly blinks in confusion as she looks down at her likely ruined dress. A small smile lifts her lips as the rest of our group erupts into laughter around the table.
I watch in fascination as Lila’s face transforms until she’s barely containing her laughter. It feels like my face might split open from smiling so hard when she finally releases her genuine laugh.
It’s a new goal of mine to hear that sound as often as possible.
Dax doubles over to clutch his stomach as his laughter rises above everyone else's. Mace wipes at the corners of his eyes as he says in between fits of laughter, “I amnothelping clean that up.”
Ellie’s smile beams as she watches Wyatt’s rare laughter trickle through the room.
A quick glance at Posey shows her previous tears of sadness have turned into tears of laughter. A quick poke to her side doubles her laughter as I say, “See, you’re not the only one making messes, Rosie Posey!”
A sense of rightness settles over me as I watch the people I care most about sharing in their laughter.
Ellie tears off paper towels as she looks up at me, a smile permanently etched on her face. “Go get cleaned up.”
I give her a grateful smile as I slide my chair back. “Thanks, sis.”
Lila’s still shaking with laughter when I grab her hand and drag her through the living room and up the stairs. Even though her fingers feel far too delicate in my hand, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.
Nervousness hits when I open the door to my room. I only have seconds to wonder if I left any boxers out this morning before the door slides shut behind us.
The sudden stillness of the air closes in around us until all I can hear are our labored breaths as we catch our breath after the much deserved laughter.
Lila’s chest rises and falls as her eyes roam over my dresser, open closet door, nightstand, and settle on my queen bed.
Her eyes jump to mine when I clear my throat like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. I can’t help but smirk as a stunning blush creeps over her cheeks.
I continue on like I didn’t just catch her checking out my bed. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize how slippery the bottle was going to be.”
A smile lights her voice as I disappear into my walk-in closet. “Don’t worry about it. It made Posey feel better. That’s all that matters.” I hear her smile fade before she continues, “Thanks for not making a big deal out of it.”
My brows dip as I thumb through my clothes, trying to find something that won't drown her in fabric. “Why would I make a big deal out of it? It’s just a little ketchup.”
Her shoes click on the floor as she moves around my room. “Yeah, well, most guys wouldn’t take a seven-year-old squirting ketchup all over them nearly as well as you did.”
“I’m just happy to see her eating something she likes.” I select one of my favorite t-shirts I’ve had since high school andmove on to my shorts drawer. “How did that thing you needed to take care of go?”
She blows out a frustrated breath as I settle on a pair of shorts with a drawstring. “It went well. I guess.”
I raise my eyebrows as I come out of the closet to find her looking through my movie collection on top of my dresser. “You guess?” She flies back from the dresser like it’s burnt her as I chuckle. “You can look at them. It doesn’t bother me if you want to snoop.”
She crosses her arms and quickly uncrosses them as she realizes she just smudged ketchup all over herself. “I, uh, wasn’t snooping.”
I hand her a bundle of clothes as I chuckle. “Sure. Whatever you say. These will be huge on you, but they’ll do while we put your dress in the washer.”
Her fingers brush mine as she takes possession of the bundle. Blushed cheeks have become a constant feature on her face.
Now I need to think about literally anything else other than her stripping out of her clothes in my private space. I gesture over my shoulder to my attached bathroom. “You can, uh, change in there?”
Why the hell did I phrase that like a question?
Lila swallows thickly as she nods. Her eyes never stray from mine as she says, “Yeah, uh, okay.”
The constant magnetic pull I feel toward this woman lessens to a bearable level as she closes my bathroom door between us.
I grab my shirt behind my neck and rip it over my head. I’m not a claustrophobic person, but the walls of my room feel like they’re closing in around me the longer I stare at my bathroom door.
