Chapter Fifteen
NATHAN
I’ve fantasizedabout getting together with Colt. A lot. Most of those fantasies were during my teen years, though he’d recently made a comeback. None involved this weird universe we’ve fallen into where we couldn’t exchange more than a few sentences at a time.
Once we finished dinner and returned to my house, I expected him to make up an excuse to leave without watching the movie. Honestly, I wouldn’t even be mad. I need a do-over for the night, but I don’t think those exist.
“Why don’t we put on some more comfortable clothing,” Colt suggests. I raise my eyebrows at him. It sounds like something out of a porn. “It’d be nice to be a little more comfortable while we watch the movie.” It’s hard to argue. These aren’t my most comfortable pants, especially for long periods of sitting. Plus, maybe it’ll ease some of the tension between us. It can’t make it worse.
“You’re right. Let’s put on some sweats.” I start toward the bedrooms when I realize he likely didn’t bring extra clothes. “Do you need to borrow something?”
“If you don’t mind. The ones I borrowed before would be perfect.”
I nod and head to my bedroom to grab the clothes. I meet Colt in the hall with a pair of sweats, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt for him. He smiles at me gently before taking them into the guest bedroom.
I disappear into my room to change into my clothes. I’ve never been on a date, let alone a first date, that involved changing into loungewear. I don’t think it’s what people meant when they saidchange into something more comfortable.
I’m thankful for the few minutes to pull myself together. I splash some water on my face and take a few deep breaths. We can do better than this; I just don’t know how to make it happen. I don’t suppose anyone’s written a book on how to go from friends to romantic partners? Even a web article would be nice.
I throw on a pair of well-worn sweats and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I can’t explain it, but I immediately relax a little. The tension in my shoulders eases, and I unclench my fists. I’m not sure when either of those started. Possibly last week.It’s just you and Colt watching a movie.We’ve done this hundreds of times. It doesn’t have to be weird.
I open my door and return to the living room to find Colt comfortably on the couch and flipping through the list of streaming movies. “Anything interesting?”
He looks up at me, moving slowly from head to toe. Why is that so hot? My face gets hot, and I shift uncomfortably. Right, at least he still has this effect on me. “I’ll let you pick between three choices. We can continue ourNinja Turtlestheme and watch the second movie, or we can watch either3 NinjasorThe Mighty Ducks.”
“Quite the range of options.” He shrugs, and I sit next to him on the couch. “I have to vote to continue the series. It’s only fair to watch the whole trilogy before making any judgments.”
He nods and clicks a few buttons before the opening credits appear. I try to get comfortable, but attempting to look relaxed while also carefully not touching someone but not making it obvious that you’re not touching them is hard. I guess at least I’m not doing it in tight jeans.
The movie plays on the screen with the exact cheesiness I expect. The jokes are terrible, and the acting is worse in many places. I can’t stay focused, though. My eyes keep wandering to the two feet of cushion between us. I didn’t intend to sit so far away, but now I didn’t know how to fix it without practically shoving myself into his lap. Was it possible to be moving backward in a relationship?
“You okay?” Colt looks at me with concern. That sigh was not in my head.
“Yeah, just a bit tired.”
“Do you want me to go?” Oh, there are so many ways I could read into that question. Do I want him to go? I let the question bounce around in my mind for a minute. I want to joke with him and return to our usual conversation. I want to stop whatever awkwardness is between us. I want him to kiss me again.
“No, I want you to stay and finish the movie.” He nods, and we both turn back toward the screen. I attempt to scooch closer a few times but only manage a couple of inches at best. With more time, I could get close enough to sneak a hand on his thigh, but these damn nineties kids’ movies are only eighty minutes. The credits start to roll before I can do anything else.
“I should get going,” Nathan says, stretching his arms over his head. He looks incredible in my clothes. They might be a little big, but my possessive part loves seeing him in my clothes.“Can I wear these home and return them later? The thought of returning to my jeans for the drive home is terrible.”
“Of course.” My brain screams at me to do something—anything—at this point, but no good plan comes to mind. “I’ll walk you out.” Thus, the worst first date between two friends ends.
COLT
I followNathan to the front door and find my shoes. I shove them on my feet without bothering with the laces. They’ll be good enough for the short drive home. I look up, unsure exactly what I’m going to say. Is this the part of the night when I kiss him goodbye? It doesn’t feel like a date that ends with a kiss.
“I don’t?—”
“That wasn’t—” I say simultaneously, cutting him off. We both laugh. “You first.”
“I don’t know why this is so weird.” He shifts his weight back and forth between his feet. I can tell he’s nervous, but at least he found the courage to say what we’d both been thinking all night.
“Me either.” I look into his eyes and realize we’re closer together than we had been the whole night. I can feel the heat from his body radiating toward me. Cautiously, I lift one of my hands and place it on his waist. He inhales sharply but doesn’t move or push me away. God, I want to kiss him again. I know this whole thing started with me kissing him, which isn’t going great. I’m unsure if more kissing will help or hurt, but I don’t care.
I lean in slowly, allowing him to stop me if he wants to. Thank God he doesn’t because I sink into him the minute my lips touch his.
I meant this to be a sweet goodbye kiss, something to remind us that this might take a little while to figure out. Something so Nathan knew I wasn’t going anywhere, no matter how weird things got.
