Page 61 of Between Love and War
I instinctively touch my cheeks. Are they red? Ugh.
“Flattering.” I roll to my side, immediately regret the motion, then flatten back like a pancake.
“So, what do you wanna do?” he asks.
“Um… I don’t know, I’ve never shared a bed with anyone outside our friend group before.” The words escape too fast, and I bite my lip. Why did I say that? What am Itryingto imply here? “Sorry,” I mumble, gesturing vaguely in the air. “I’m just—this is all weird. The food poisoning. The unexpected situation. The… you.”
He glances around like he’s just realized where he is. “I mean, yeah, if I zoom out, it’s definitely not how I saw this day going.”
“And yet here we are.”
He shrugs. “You knocked. I answered.”
“I didn’t knock.”
“Spiritually, you did.”
I snort and then immediately regret it because snorting hurts. “You can leave anytime, you know.”
“Do you want me to?”
“No.”
It slips out too fast. Too honest.
He raises an eyebrow, and I panic. “I mean—you probably should! Boundaries! Germs! Proximity to… vomit.”
But he just sits back and stretches his legs, somehow taking up a ridiculous amount of space without touching me. “Katie.”
“Mikey.”
He chuckles at the name. “I’m not going anywhere unless you tell me to. So, pick your poison: movie, book, awkward eye contact, or deep, soul-crushing talk. I’m your guy.”
I blink at him. “You sound like a poorly designed dating app.”
“Swipe left, if you want to.” He shrugs.
I sit up slowly and crisscross my legs like I’m about to start circle time as I face him. “Okay. Let’s talk. Specifically, the Little League Finals next week.”
His brows lift slightly. “Wow. Straight into work talk.”
I ignore him. “How can we make it more memorable?”
He mirrors me halfway, leaning up but keeping his back planted against my pillows. “Basketball’s already fun. They’re going to run around, yell a lot, and dramatically fall even if no one touches them.”
“Yeah, but still.” I press.
He shrugs. “You want a real venue?”
I blink. “Like… a gym?”
He nods like it’s no big deal. “A mini stadium. We’ve got a few practice courts we use for training. I can make a call, block one off for a day. Let the kids run through the tunnel like pros. Even pipe in some crowd noise if you want.”
My jaw drops slightly. “You’d do that?”
He puts a hand on his chest like I’ve accused him of betrayal. “Kate. I’m offended. Of course I’d do that. Those little hooligans stole my heart.”
I laugh. “Okay. I’ll send out a letter to the parents. Seriously… thank you. That’s really nice of you.”
