Page 12 of Kicking it with my Fake Fiancé
“That was a lot. I didn’t realize how it would feel to beonconstantly. Draining.”
I nodded in understanding. “Agreed.”
He pushed himself to standing and locked the door behind him as he returned to the living room. “Now what?”
“Hungry?”
He shook his head. “I had my fill of airport food and vending-machine snacks. I’m just tired.”
“Then I suppose it’s bedtime. We have a lot planned for tomorrow and we should get our rest. Besides, you’ve been traveling for two days. I’d imagine you’d like to shower and sleep.”
Jared rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I’d like that a lot.”
Once Jared had showered—and I had paced anxiously while he was in the shower, so much that I practically worried a hole in my living room rug—he emerged from the bathroom in just pajama pants, shower water running down his face in little rivulets as he dried his hair, his skin still damp.
My heart thudded a few times and I sank onto the sofa.Stop it. You’re his friend, for God’s sake. Stop looking at him like that.
Jared grinned, wide and easy. “Tired? I’m sure I could find the energy to stay up playing card games like the old days.”
I laughed shakily and shook my head. “Tired.”
He nodded. “Let’s get some cutesy getting ready for bed footage and then we can crash.” So we did. We filmed ourselves brushing our teeth and he filmed me fluffing pillows and pulling the covers down. When we were finished with the camera for the night, Jared tucked it away in its case. “Well, goodnight. Where should I…?” He gestured toward the living room. “Duvet?”
“Oh, no. It gets hot out there. Stuffy, even with the windows, and we’re going through a heat wave. I thought, I mean, I just assumed…” I stuttered, my cheeks blazing.
“What?” He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“You can sleep in here,” I blurted finally. “I have an air conditioning unit in this room. It’s portable so if you want to sleep on the couch, you can, but it doesn’t get very dark in there because it’s summer, and there are no blackout curtains, and the room is large enough that it doesn’t cool down well even with the unit, and the couch is uncomfortable. I can sleep out there if you want.” I was rambling and I knew it, so I snapped my mouth shut.
Jared’s easy smile was back. “I don’t mind sharing a bed. It’s not like we’re strangers and it’s not like we’ve never done it before.”
My memory called up images of Jared and me staying up till all hours of the night playing card games and video games and talking about crushes and school. We always claimed it was so I could practice my English, but the truth was, my English was near-flawless at that age—like many Norwegians, I’d been learning since elementary school—and we just wanted to be near each other. I could no longer remember the rhythm of his breathing or the way he looked with his dark eyelashes resting on his cheeks, but I remembered how I felt. Safe. Warm. At home.
I nodded. “Okay. If you’re sure you’re okay with it.”
He took my hand in his. “We’re going to be getting married. Sharing a bed is probably the most practical move we could make.”
“In that case, I sleep on the left.”
Jared laughed and climbed into bed while I turned off the lights and turned on the air conditioner. We slid beneath the duvet, and soon, Jared’s even, rhythmic breathing let me know he was fast asleep.
I fell asleep, too, after staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours. Our friendship was easy. Simple. Uncomplicated. But my growing feelings for him seemed to be anythingbut. Eventually, I closed my eyes, listened to the sound of his breathing, and let sleep pull me under.
Chapter Seven
Jared
Idriftedawakethenext morning, cozy under a duvet with the cool air of the bedroom circulating around me. I could’ve slept for another eighteen hours probably, but nature was calling. As I woke, I realized that I wasn’t just cozy under the duvet—I was snuggled up to Matty, spooning him, with Matty resting in my arms peacefully, snuggled deeply against my body. His breathing was soft and even, his blond hair mussed, his pale skin a contrast to my darker complexion even in the dim light of the room. One of my arms was slung around him, holding him close to my chest, and his head rested on my other arm.
My heart raced as I realized that I was holding my best friend, my fake fiancé, so close to my body. We were both shirtless and the press of his skin against mine made me ache in a way I wasn’t used to feeling about him.Good God, I need to get laid. I didn’t want to think about sex while holding him. It felt like a violation of our trust somehow. His hair fluttered as I exhaled sharply, trying to figure a way out of the situation.
I started to ease away but Matty snuggled deeper into me, burrowing his body against my warmth. It quickly occurred to me that not only did I have to use the bathroom, but I was sporting morning wood, too. I rocked my hips away from him as I tried to slide my arm from under Matty’s head. He groaned in response and stirred.
“Hva…?” His voice was soft, confused and thick with sleep.
“Shh,” I murmured. “Sorry. I’ll just…” I pulled away from him completely and he whined slightly before reaching up and rubbing his face.
“Hva skjer?” He sat up and looked around, confusion painting his features as he rubbed his face and hair with both hands. When he turned to face me, we made eye contact and his cheeks flushed pink. “Oh.”
