I swallow and try to calm my pounding heartbeat. Can Kaiden feel it? Hear it? My anxiety over him knowing the truth drums the beat louder until my ears thump along.
Grandma leaves the room and I remain still. My eyes open to a muted television screen. The show on now is one I don’t recognize. The time on the clock says it’s almost four thirty.
“You can get up now,” he says.
I lick my lips and sit up, sneaking a peek at him through my lashes. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”
His arms go to his chest. “Your grandmother seems to think we’re the same person. Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.”
I frown. “Am I that bad?”
He levels with me. “You’re holding something back from me.”
His accusation makes me roll my eyes, which he doesn’t find amusing. “Just because I don’t tell you everything doesn’t mean I’m holding it back. There’s a lot we don’t know about each other, Kaiden.”
His lips twitch. It’s almost like he’s weighing his response options. He can’t disagree with me because I’m not wrong. But that won’t stop him from commenting something snarky back, because that’s his defense mechanism.
“I suppose this is where we exchange boring facts about ourselves?” he guesses, deadpan. “Am I supposed to tell you that my favorite color is black and that I listen to emo music and self-loathe in the darkness of my bedroom?”
My brows go up and I stifle a giggle. “I don’t know. Do you?”
He eyes me.
I smile and shrug. “You’re probably the kind of guy who loves the color gray even though it’s boring. Heather gray, not light. And you don’t listen to emo music, whatever that is, you listen to rap. Probably R&B too. I bet you loathe country music based on the principle alone, and that the only thing you do in the darkness of your room is—” I stop myself and blush. “Uh, well, you know.”
“I don’t know.” Leaning in close to me, he whispers, “What do I do in the darkness of my room, Mouse?”
His breath tickles my nose, causing me to wiggle it. “What every guy probably does.”
“Which is…?”
My eyes widen. “You can’t honestly expect me to say it. My grandma is in the house somewhere.”
His eyes dance with mischief. “Tell me what I do in my room.”
I swallow. “Sleep.”
“And?”
I try glancing away, but he won’t let me. He turns my head to face him, our eyes locking. His fingers remain on my chin so I won’t look anywhere else.
“Watch movies?”
He smirks. “Wrong.”
“Do homework?”
“Try again.”
My whole face heats up.
“Say it, Mouse.”
“T-Touch yourself?”
His whole face lights up. I try moving away, but he keeps me locked in place. “Tell me something. Do you touch yourself?”
My jaw drops.