Page 38 of The Fast Lane

“Yes?” It was better and worse at the same time. I mean, his solution was a good idea, but this also put us in the same bed practically.

“I can’t let you sleep on the floor.” He yawned. “We both need to sleep and now we both can.”

He sounded so close, and the thing is, he was.

Stunned, I held myself perfectly still. The Theo-obsessed fifteen-year-old inside me, that girl was about to incinerate with excitement. I’d had this dream many times. Theo, me, a bed…It was like one of those scenes from the cheesy romance novels Mae pretended not to read.

The part of me that was a grown-up was also equally excited. But smarter. Wiser. This was probably a terrible idea. But I didn’t move.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Something warm brushed against my hand. My breath caught when Theo slid his fingers between mine, his hold strong and firm, reassuring.

“It must be scary to have that dream.”

I made a small sound.

“Especially when you’re alone,” he said, his voice quiet and sure.

Out of nowhere, tears pricked the backs of my eyes and I blinked rapidly to get rid of them.

“But you’re not alone right now, okay? I won’t let you fall.” He squeezed my hand. “Now, close your eyes and try to get some sleep.”

So, I did. My last thought before I drifted off was that something monumental had shifted in the region of my heart in the last ten minutes. That once dormant crush on Theo I’d worked so hard to pretend didn’t exist had woken with a vengeance.

Great. Just great.

SIXTEEN

Note to self:

Research how much text can go on a tombstone.

Saturday, eight days until the wedding

An hour or so outside Amarillo, Texas

A blinding ray of sunshine landed on my face, let in by a tiny crack where the curtains didn’t quite meet. With a groan, I burrowed farther into the blankets to get away from it. My eyes drifted closed as I drew in a deep breath of oranges and sunshine and soap, a comforting smell. A familiar one. A Theo sort of scent.

I froze and took stock of where I was. I remembered falling asleep holding his hand on one side of the bed. But I was now pressed against him, my face buried in his side. One of my hands was resting on his chest, which was rising and falling steadily, and his fingers were tangled in my hair, and it was so comfortable and lovely and perfect and…oh, crap.

I’d had this dream too. Usually involving us trapped somewhere in the mountains during a blizzard. Alone. With one bed and…

Okay. Right. This was the opposite of Friend Zone and even if my feelings were starting to grow, it was all so confusing. Not just my own feelings but Theo, too. He’d been different since we’d left for this trip, and I had no idea what any of this meant.

Time for a plan. I’d extract myself quietly and calmly.

I raised my head slowly to find the easiest escape route. Then it all came back to me. Theo pushing the beds together and laying next to me for my safety.

Sweet, wonderful, thoughtful Theo who had taken care of me last night. The same Theo who currently had one hand in my hair and another on my back, the tips of his fingers grazing the strip of skin exposed from my tank top rising up during the night. The same Theo who I was now certainly seventy-five percent in love with.

Oh, this was not good.

Inching back slowly, I tried to free myself so as not to wake him. But his hand on my back pulled me closer as he shifted. We were now, somehow, by some weird Jenga bed magic, facing one another, one of his legs curled around mine. I sucked in a breath, afraid to move. But he seemed to sleep on.

I realized I’d been granted a rare moment to stare at him without it being weird. So, I gave in to the temptation. Like I was strong enough to turn down this opportunity. I studied the way the tips of his dark-blond eyelashes rested on his cheeks. How the right side of his mouth tipped up ever so slightly in a half-smile. I wondered if he was dreaming. And yes, I wondered if I was in those dreams.

Maybe I’d go back to sleep for a bit and when I woke up, I’d realize I’d been the one dreaming. I snuggled in, my eyelids growing heavy again. Sleep was a breath or two away when my nose started to itch. The sneeze was inevitable and loud enough to wake most of the county.