Page 101 of Fake Love

“Jesus.” Maddox mutters, running a hand against his face. “You’re making this harder than it has to be.”

He’s right again.

But are we even ready to move in together?

“You’re the one that brought the subject up. I was ready to make this a sexy video call and flash you my chest but you had to go and ask me to move in with you.”

One of his perfect sculpted eyebrows raises. “If you move in with me, then you can flash me anytime you want. You can also go topless anytime you want, just move in with me.”

“Why?” I ask.

Why is he asking me to move in with him now and not later down the line?

“When I’m in town, can you think of any time that you’ve slept at your place?” He answers.

I give him a questioning look but he waves through the screen as to tell me to think about it.

Up until this point, I haven’t seen anything wrong with our living arrangements. We do spend most nights at his place when he’s in town, that’s for sure, but we definitely spend time at my place too. Don’t we?

I try to think back to the last time that Maddox spent the night here and I can’t think of one besides the night we met.

He’s been to my apartment plenty of times, but in the time that we’ve been a couple, he hasn’t slept here.

Not only has he not slept here, but his place has always been the default.

I shake my head in defeat. “No, I can’t.”

Maddox nods. “Look around your room, do you see anything of mine there?”

It sounds as if he’s giving me riddles, but I do what he says.

Looking around, I try to find something that might be his.

There’s one of his jerseys that he wore a few weeks ago during a game, but its only here because I took it from his place.

There’s a hat, but he gave that to me when he got called up.

There are a few of his t-shirts, but they are only here because I brought them from his place to sleep in when he’s at away games.

Nothing is in here because he has brought it over. If it wasn’t for me having them, there would be no sign of my boyfriend here.

“I guess not.” I answer him.

“Want to know what I see every single time I get home?”

I nod, not saying a word.

“I see the clothes that you’ve left behind because you’ve taken my shirts, in my closet. I see your small amount of makeup and skin care on my bathroom counter. I see the books that Selena let you borrow on my coffee table and I see your horrible snacks in my pantry. I see all of that but I don’t see you and I want to.”

He’s made me speechless.

I knew I had left a few things at his place, but I didn’t think it was that much.

In a few short months, I’ve used his place as if it was mine.

Even with that revelation though, I still deflect.

“My snacks aren’t horrible.” I mumble out, not knowing what else to say.

---