Page 60 of Heal Me

I snuggle into him, my head on his shoulder, utterly drained but floating in a blissful haze. “Bonne nuit, mon cœur.”

Gunnar kisses my forehead and buries his nose in my hair. “Night, sweetheart.”

30

Gunnar

Myalarmstartlesmeawake with an ear-splitting wail, and I slap at my phone violently until it stops. Burying my face in the pillow, I try to calm my racing heart and recall why the volume is so loud. Jocelin is a comforting weight across my back, which reminds me of my promise from yesterday morning. With a quiet groan, I reach for my phone and silence the alarm before it goes off again. It’s tempting to go back to sleep, but Jocelin wouldn’t approve.

As gently as I can, I roll over. He huffs disgustedly and tries to burrow against me. It’s adorable and makes it that much harder to get up. Then he sighs softly and relaxes against my chest, and I give up, kissing his forehead, wrapping myself around him. I don’t want to get out of this bed. I don’t want to leave him. But if I don’t get up now, I’ll fall asleep again. Then Tom or Quinn will call, and then Jocelin won’t be so adorable. Gathering the blankets with my free hand, I pull them over Jocelin and gently slide from beneath him. I stretch and shuffle into the bathroom, closing the door before turning on the light.

Leaning heavily against the sink and willing my brain to wake up, I grab my toothbrush and squeeze paste onto the bristles. As I scrub my teeth, the tingling of the mint flavoring sparks something in my brain that helps me focus, and by the time I’m under the hot spray of the shower, I’m feeling more alert. Snippets of last night resurface. The quiet, intensely emotional connection with Jocelin is new, and the fact I’m not freaking out about it is shocking, really. But I’m calm, happy, excited even, and not worried at all. Because it’s Joce, and he’s amazing.

I wash quickly, towel off, finger comb a dab of pomade through my hair, and use a few drops of the beard oil that Jocelin loves. Normally, I’d clean up the bathroom later—or not at all—but it’ll bug Jocelin if I don’t. So I pick up my towel from the floor and hang it on the bar, flatten the toothpaste tube, pushing the gel to the top, wipe the toothpaste out of the sink, and put all the items back into the medicine cabinet before quietly opening the door. The light from the bathroom is enough for me to see to get dressed, and Jocelin doesn’t seem to stir. Once I’m done, I watch him sleep for a minute before leaning down, brushing a soft kiss on his hair. “Have a good day, babe.” Jocelin mumbles something incoherent as I quietly leave the bedroom, closing the door behind me.

I’m not usually a breakfast person, so I make a quick cup of tea in a to-go cup, grab my keys, and hope the garage door doesn’t wake Jocelin. I finally breathe once I’m out of the driveway and heading to work. By the time I reach my desk, I’m whistling and ready to take on the day.

“So, how much work did you get done yesterday afternoon?” I turn around and grin at Tom, who is leering at me from the doorway. “My bet, based on that blush and cheeky grin, is not much.” I flip him off and turn back to my laptop. It doesn’t faze him. “I remember when Josie and I were still a new couple. Couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”

“TMI Tom. Really. I don’t need to hear about that.” I hide my smirk and try to focus on my schematic.

“She’d just give me a look. You know the one. And that was it. My brain would shut off, and my dick was in charge.”

I snort. “That would assume your brain was on in the first place.”

Something bounces off my shoulder, and a paperclip lands on my desk. “Funny, Osouf. Come on. We haven’t talked in weeks.”

I turn around and scrub my fingers through my hair. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Tom. I’ve been a bit preoccupied.”

“I’m not trying to make you feel bad, Gunnar. I’m just trying to make sure you’re okay.” I raise an eyebrow at him, and he grins. “Okay. And giving you a little shit, too.” He drops into the empty chair next to my desk.

”Iamsorry we haven’t hung out lately. But yeah, I’m okay.” I grin sheepishly. “Better than okay, really.”

“Good. I’m happy for you.” We’re both quiet for a few beats, and then Tom clears his throat. “So, you two have been seeing a lot of each other.”

I roll my eyes. “Is that your way of telling me to slow down, you think I’m moving too quickly?”

He holds up his hands. “It’s just an observation. I get not everyone wants to take a year or two to pine over someone before asking them out. I think I have the corner on that market.” His self-deprecating laugh fills the room. He picks up the paperclip he flicked at me and fiddles with it. “Jocelin still crashing at your place? Or have his parents left?”

I groan, thinking about his parents. “They’re still here. We’re having dinner with them, Astrid, and Gary tonight.”

There’s a knock on my office door, and Tom and I glance up to find Tadhg in my doorway. ‘Good morning.’ Tom and I wave. ‘Everything okay with Jocelin?’

I nod. ‘Yes. His parents are still at the loft, so he’s still staying with me for now. But he’s in good spirits.’ I grin. ‘He baked cookies with my neighbor yesterday.’

‘What?’ Tom looks around. ‘Where are they?’

Tadhg smirks. ‘Yes, why don’t we have any cookies?’

‘Because they were made for me, and I don’t share my cookies.’

It’s at that point that Quinn pokes his head in my office. ‘Good morning. How’s Jocelin?’

Tadhg kisses his cheek. ‘Jocelin made cookies with Gunnar’s neighbor, and he didn’t bring us any.’

Quinn nods. ‘Understandable. Why share when you don’t have to?’

‘Says the youngest of five siblings.’ Tadhg rolls his eyes at Quinn and turns back to me. ‘Tell Jocelin, if there’s any more baking, we expect to reap the rewards.’

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