Page 28 of Eye of the Hurricane
“I’ll be just fine, let me worry about me.” Which is code for ‘I’m already halfway there and willing to take that hit for you’.
“Anything else?”
“Nope.” She gives a definitive shake of thehead.
“I should go so you can get to bed. I promised you practice wouldn’t interfere with your work and school stuff.”
“You could stay for a while. I was going to watch some reality TV, I don’t know if you like it.” She toys with her manicured nails like she’s nervous to ask me. I have no idea why she’d be nervous to ask me anything, the answer will always be yes.
“Are you kidding? Audra and Ravyn have had me watching every reality TV show under the sun my entire life.” It’s true. You name it, I’ve seen it.
“That can’t be true. I’ll find something you haven’t seen before,” she says. She stands up from the chair she was sitting in and joins me on the couch, bringing a fuzzy, flower-print blanket with her.
“Good luck.”
It takes about a half hour of flipping through all the different streaming apps before we finally find one neither of us has seen. It’s called Hardly Dating. She puts it on and we’re both hooked from the beginning. When the first episode ends, it’s about ten-thirty.
“One more?” she asks. Spending more time with her is a no-brainer.
“Up to you, I’m into it but I don’t want to keep you up.”
“I want to watch one more,” she insists.
“Then put it on.”
She pulls the blanket up to her face and slips down further into the couch. She’s a couple of inches closer than she was before. I want to scoop her up and pull her into me. I must not be the only one thinking it either. Because big baby blues look up at me and she reaches out and pokes a finger into my chest.
“Can I lay here?” she asks quietly. So quiet that I almostget the impression that she’s afraid someone might hear. Except the only one here other than us is her cat, Bellatrix.
“You can do whatever you want with me, Kat,” I tell her, patting my chest an as invitation. She takes it, curling up in the crook of my shoulder with her fuzzy blanket. Once she’s comfortable, she gives all her attention back to the show she put on.
The only problem is that all of my attention is on her. The way her golden strands spread across my chest. The way she smells of toasted coconut and warm honey. The soft rise and fall of her body as she breathes.
The last thing I remember is a fuzzy black shadow climbing up in my lap and joining us.
I wakeup to a very unforgiving ray of sun burning into my eyes. I’m still wearing jeans, having fallen asleep on Kat’s couch. I attempt to shift slightly before realizing I’m pinned down by Katherine wrapped around me. Her head is nuzzled into my chest and her little black cat is curled up on my shoulder.
If I was any less amused by the fact that I accidentally slept over at Katherine’s house, I would feel a little claustrophobic. Since I met her, I’ve had a hundred fantasies about waking up with her but this is the first time we were both dressed when it happens.
I lean look over to the cat and greet her, “Good morning, Bells.” She offers me a slow blink in return.
“Kat, we fell asleep, what time do you need to be up?” Iwhisper in an attempt not to startle her. It’s useless, though, because she launches herself upright and scares Bellatrix so bad she jumps a few feet in the air.
“What time is it!?” she half yells, pushing around the blankets, searching for her phone. I reach for mine, still in my pocket from last night, and check the time.
“It’s only 6:45,” I assure her. Her entire body relaxes and she slumps back against the back of the couch.
“I thought I was late.”
“I could tell,” I chuckle.
“Sorry, I kind of kidnapped you last night. I swear I meant it when I said one more. I guess I was just more tired than I thought,” she explains. Not that it matters to me. She could admit to me right now that she lured me here to hold me captive overnight. I’d just be happy to be here.
“What time do you need to leave here?”
“I don’t have to leave here until 8:45. I need to shower and stuff, though.”
“Why don’t you hop in the shower and I’ll run and grab us both coffee. I’ll drop yours off.”
