Page 124 of Facing Off
“I’ll eat absolutely anything you make me. You have an open invitation to put anything in my mouth,” I promise, grinning as I take a seat on her couch. Immediately, my body sags against the cushions. As an athlete, my bodysometimes feels like one big bruise. But being here right now? It’s so comfortable and cozy.
Everything that usually crowds my brain has started to fade, like the deadline the GM is hanging over my head, how the players I trained with today are the most vulnerable ones to being traded, and that the Wings badly need to win again.
I’m humming to myself. The invisible knots of tension in my body are releasing. I want to savor being with Sonya tonight. There’s so much to learn about her.
Like, is that a black skateboard in the corner? Does she ride? We could ride together, because it can’t be that different from skating? If I can balance on ice, I can balance on four wheels. Even if my contract might not allow it, I’ll find a way to skateboard. We could have adorable skateboard dates on a seawall. How could she say no to that?
Her plants seem happy. Something smells like tea…I didn’t know she liked tea, but now, I’ll buy her some. A fifty-pack of different tea. Is that enough? A hundred. Two hundred.
This is nice…and I really like her walls. Could navy be her second favorite color after black…?
Fuck. Wait.
My eyes are drooping.
Why?
It makes no sense.
This past year, my body has been so overstimulated with worry that I’ve learned to function without regular sleep. Most nights, I lay in bed and fight to get a small bit of rest.
So why, just as I’m about to ask Sonya whether she needs any help, do I clock out and fall into a deep sleep?
Some awareness slowly dawns on me.
I don’t know where I am, but it must be the best place in the world. I’m floating, caught in this incredible carefree feeling.
Half-conscious, I think that whatever is happening I don’t want it to stop. I’m super comfortable and lying down on my side.
My eyes are shut and?—
My shoulders jerk.Wait.
My head is not on a pillow.
It’s on a lap.
There’s a voice talking out loud.
“He keeps moving in his sleep.”
Everything hits me all at once. It’s Sonya. I’m in her apartment. So my head must be on her lap.
“He’s so restless,” she complains, swearing softly.
Should I tell her I’m awake?
I don’t know, but I stop wondering immediately.
Because fingers are threading through my hair, stroking it softly.
Fuck.Me.
I bite back a moan. My eyes stay clamped shut, and I try not to move an inch, even though it’s so damn hard to stay still. Pure wonder and joy radiate out of my every pore.
“Meow.”
That’s Diana.
