Daydream (Maple Hills, #3)(71)
He closes the gap between us quickly, kissing me with the determination of a man with something to prove.
And right at that moment is when the bedroom door opens.
Chapter Twenty-One HENRY
AURORA SLAMS THE DOOR CLOSED, blocking out the sound of gasps, many of which I don’t believe are genuine.
“I didn’t know you were here!” she yells through the door. “I was giving a tour!”
Halle’s hands are pressed against her mouth to cover her shock. I want to kiss her again, but I’m not sure this is the time. I clear my throat. “It’s a good thing you didn’t take off your pants.”
She nods in agreement. “I think you might be right. This is so embarrassing.”
I want to tell her being embarrassed is breaking a rule, but people always say some rules are allowed to be broken, so I’m going to give her this one. “They thought we were lying when we said we’re just friends and not hooking up anyway. Does that make you feel better?”
Her hands move from her mouth to her forehead as she shakes her head. “No. That doesn’t make me feel better at all.”
“Is it because you’re worrying about what people think of you?” She nods, dropping her hands to my hips and placing her head on my chest. “Okay, well, don’t do that.”
“Telling me not to worry about something doesn’t make me not worry.” I silently stroke her hair to comfort her, because I’m out of advice. Eventually she lifts her head to look at me. “I’m being dramatic. It’ll be fine, we can just laugh it off, right? We’re still just friends, so we haven’t been lying to them.”
Hmm. Don’t like that. Is that what she thought I meant when we talked about no labels? I brush it off. “And I know all their secrets, so if they’re annoying, I’ll just start dropping them.”
“And how do you know all their secrets?” she asks.
I shrug. “People tell me stuff. I think it’s because they know I don’t care enough to gossip about them.”
“Or maybe it’s because you’re a great friend and a really good listener?”
Once they get their excitement out of the way, I know my friends will be cool with Halle. They all really like her. If they don’t chill out about it, I’ll cause chaos for everyone. Kris and Bobby, because Bobby hooked up with Kris’s sister and he doesn’t know; Robbie and Lola, because they argue every week about her moving back to New York when she graduates; Mattie and his toxic ex, who he swore he’d block but is talking to again; and Emilia and Poppy, who break up every time they have a fight, but don’t tell anyone because they get back together the next day. I have years’ worth of people telling me things I don’t want to know.
“It’s definitely because they know I don’t care enough to gossip about them.” She grumbles and throws herself back onto the mattress. I climb onto the bed beside her, nearly sliding off because of the pajama material against the bedding. Lying next to her, I lean in to kiss her cheek, and these damn pajamas tighten against my arms as I move. I’m so hot and I haven’t even done anything. “Did Aurora not want to pay for silk or…?”
Halle chuckles. “Some vegetarians don’t wear silk, so I didn’t want to get it wrong. Look it up; it’s a very interesting information hole to be stuck in.”
“I know how silk is made. I just forgot she was a vegetarian. You remember everything about everyone; I don’t know how you do it. You’re a good friend to her, Halle. She’ll definitely protect you from the others if they get too excited.”
She sighs, rubbing her face against her hands. “Let’s just get it over with. It’s fine, please don’t spill all their secrets.”
“You got it, Cap.”
* * *
IN AN UNUSUAL TURN OF events, nobody said anything when we exited our bedroom.
Not one single thing.
I was instantly suspicious until I saw Russ by the popcorn machine, and he reassured me that after the door slammed closed, Aurora threatened everyone with violence if they made Halle feel the slightest bit uncomfortable or embarrassed.
Halle went for breakfast the morning after we fooled around, and judging by the way Aurora instantly acted protectively toward Halle, I assume she knows. I don’t care, Halle can scream it from a rooftop if she wants to. I like the idea that she has girlfriends to talk to. She clearly has a lot going on in her head, and I almost gave myself an aneurysm trying to make sense of it.
I usually shut down when I’m overrun with issues, but Halle’s solution seems to be to tie herself in mental and verbal knots. I know she thinks she has to solve all her problems alone, but she doesn’t.
I don’t know why I’m bothered that she said we were still just friends when that’s something I’m used to. I know I sometimes mirror people, but I don’t want to start creating problems the way Halle does for herself.
Aurora gives me the same threat of violence when I groan that the first movie we are watching is Legally Blonde, so I know firsthand how terrifying she must have been earlier.
Halle and I settle into one of the floor-bed-couch contraptions covering the vast penthouse living room, and I find myself looking at the various artwork on the walls instead of the giant screen that’s been constructed to facilitate this extravagant sleepover.