Throwing down the towel, I pulled on the sweater he’d passed me when we’d gotten through the door, seeing as how we were both drenched from the five second run from the car to the house.
I expected him to be sitting down and waiting for me, so when I came face to face with his chest, I jumped and an embarrassing squeak came out.
Pressing a hand to my chest, I tipped my head back to glare up at him. “Must you do that?”
He knew what I meant. He had a habit of appearing – yes, appearing – when I least expected it. I’d even looked up those kids shoes that squeak when you take a step, but they didn’t come in ‘big ass, hairy man feet’ size.
Rolling his eyes, he bent over and pressed his shoulder into my stomach, then lifted back up again with me now over it.
“Let’s go,” he muttered, walking us down the hallway and back through to the living room.
Some women might have been offended by this, but not me. Straightening my body as much as I could with my arms out wide, I started singing the chorus of the Foo Fighter’s Learn To Fly. When life gives you lemons, you have to make the most of it.
I was just heading into one of the verses when he bent down and gently dropped me on the couch, and then stood back up with his hands on his hips.
“You’re such a dork.”
Yes, yes I was, but that had been fun. That’s not to say that I wasn’t still nervous and anxious, but when you get the chance to do something like that why not take it? What do you really have to lose? I’d spent years being suffocated by my parents, not even making decisions about my own life, so enjoying my freedom was a big deal. If that enjoyment came in the form of me being a dork and singing, why the hell not. Not that he’d said the words as an insult considering that his lips were twitching, and if I could carry him he’d probably do something similar.
That’s why I shrugged, not taking even a little bit of offense at what he’d said. “Yup, I am, but if you ever decide to do that again, just to say – I’m totally onboard with it.”
For the first time in what felt like months even though it had only been days, he laughed in front of me, the deep husky noise making goose bumps pop up on my arms. “I’ll make sure I carry you as often as I can.”
We’d had a lighthearted friendship since day one, and I hated how tense I’d felt around him on the way here, so these words lifted the elephant-sized weight off my shoulders. I could take a lot in life, but not having the easy that I had naturally with Levi? No.
“Will you also help me tape the weird handle thing in my car back on before I go home?”
The smile dropped from his face, and this time he glared down at me. “Hell no, I will not do that,” he growled, leaning down. “I’ll do you a big favor, though, and take it to the junkyard to be scrapped. It’s a fucking death trap, and you know it.”
He’s right, I did know that, but still. “I need that car, it’s how I get to work. I don’t quite think that getting those shoes with wheels in the soles would get me there quickly and safely, do you?” Although, it had to be said that I’d always wanted a pair.
“I’ll give you my old truck,” he suggested, moving to sit down next to me on the couch. “I only kept it for emergencies, so it’s not like I’ll miss it.”
“Unless there’s an emergency,” I pointed out.
Shifting so that he was now facing me with one leg on the couch pressed against mine, he rubbed a hand over his beard. “We’ve got work ones that I can use if there’s an emergency and I need a different vehicle, so that’s a moot point.”
“You might think so, but it kind of isn’t. Plus, your trucks are up here,” I held my hand as high over my head as I could, “and I’m all the way down here. I’d need to take a running jump to get into it.” I wasn’t exaggerating either.
Thinking it over, and more than likely remembering me struggling with his truck, he just shrugged. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll give you a ride home tonight and take you to work in the morning, and we’ll get the vehicle situation sorted out tomorrow.”
Groaning, I let my head drop back. “I’m not taking your truck, and you’re not taking my car.” When he didn’t automatically agree, I decided changing the subject was the safest thing to do. “So, what did you want to talk about?” I asked, raising my head back up to look at him, seeing him looking off to the side.