Don't Go There (Awkward Love 5)

“Still not asleep?”

“Obviously not.”

“Any reason?” I ask, ignoring her frustrated tone.

“Yes. You won’t shut up.” She sighs. “You’re one of those people who talks right through a movie, aren’t you?”

“Not usually.” I pause. “But with you, I probably would. Just to annoy you.”

“Annoying me excites you that much?”

“Lots of things about you excite me,” I murmur with a smile.

“You’re so frustrating,” she groans.

“Don’t forget attractive,” I warn. “And sexy. Well endowed—”

“I never said you were well endowed,” she says with a laugh.

“Are you saying I’m not?” I ask.

“No, I—”

“Well, there you are, then.”

She sighs and then groans into her pillow. “What do I have to do to shut you up?”

I pause and consider that. “So, this might seem like an odd request …”

“God knows why I even asked that question,” she grumbles.

“… but can you tickle my back?”

She laughs, but then stops when I don’t join in.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes.” I chuckle. I really am serious. “It’s one of the few things that relaxes me. The more I stress about getting to sleep, the more I can’t.”

She doesn’t say anything, but then I feel the bed move as she rolls over. I close my eyes and sigh, the feel of her fingernails sliding over my back, incredible. My body tingles against her touch as she draws circles over my skin. I’m loving every second of it. It’s definitely doing something to me, but I’m not sure relaxing is the right word.

“God, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she mutters. “Is it at least working?”

“Oh, it’s working all right.” I chuckle. “If I roll over, you’ll see just how much.”

“And I’m done.”

“Hey.”

I roll onto my back when she whacks me across the shoulder. She climbs out of the bed in a huff, and lies down on the floor, throwing the blanket over herself while I laugh.

“What did I say?”Chapter NineKatieI roll over again, punching the crap out of the pillow, before slamming my head down on it. I groan, because I’ve been lying on the floor for over an hour and I’m still not asleep. Through Lily’s snores, I can just make out the sound of Adam’s steady breathing. It’s heavier than usual, so I’m pretty sure he’s asleep, too.

So why the hell aren’t I asleep?

I reach for my phone and wince, first when I see the time and second when I see new messages from Mom. I’ve been putting off speaking with her all day, but if I don’t call her soon, she’ll do something silly, like call the police.

Aside from the fact that it’s after midnight, my other big reason for not calling her is how she overreacts to everything. I’m embarrassed enough about all of this without her making it an even bigger deal.

Me: Sorry. I’m out of range. We’re fine and on our way home.

Mom: What time does your flight get in? I’ll pick you up.

Me: We decided to drive.

Mom: Drive? And you call this fine? You hate road trips. You’re not in trouble, are you?

Me: I’m fine, I promise.

Mom: Okay. Call me if you need me?

I text a reply and then lie back down again. I glance over at the bed and frown. Maybe I was too hasty in offering to sleep on the floor, because if I’d stayed, I would be asleep by now.

Asleep with Adam.

A rush of emotion hits me. It comes out of nowhere, taking me by surprise. I’ve seen a different side to him a few times today, which makes me think that maybe he has changed. But then he says something and I’m right back to high school.

It’s so hard to push past that and see him as anything other than the boy who tormented me. I know it was a long time ago, but he was such a big, central part of my life for years. First as someone I loved and then someone I hated. How am I supposed to just forget that it ever happened?

My thoughts are interrupted by Adam’s phone, as it vibrates softly in the silence. I throw the pillow over my face to smother my laughter. This late, it’s got to be another reply to my ad. The texts and calls are coming in so often, I’m surprised he hasn’t turned his phone off. He curses under his breath as he glances at it. I roll onto my side and rest my head against my hand. I smile, making out his smirk against the soft glow of his phone.

“You’re awake,” I say.

“I am awake,” he confirms. “Thanks in part to Dwayne, from New Jersey. You want to hear what Dwayne has to say?”

“Yes,” I say, laughing.

I get on my knees and crawl over to the bed, resting on the edge, so I’m close enough to listen. He puts his phone on speaker, low enough not to wake the Lily and Darcy. If anything is going to wake them, it will be me laughing.