“Ouch, hot stuff,” he jokes, feigning a wound. “Don’t hit a guy where it hurts.”
I feel my cheeks ignite as we both become painfully aware of our proximity in the aisle.
“Well, I should probably go... grocery shop,” I mumble, gesturing vaguely towards the rest of the store.
“Wait, Dylan,” Jayden calls out, his voice tinged with something I can’t quite place. “Want some company? I could help you carry the groceries, since, you know, you... forgot your key.” He smirks, holding up the spare key I apparently left on the counter. “Noah keeps forgetting and double-locking it, remember?”
My jaw drops. “How did you—“
“I’ve got my ways,” he winks, an impish glint in his eye. “Besides, I could use some more tips on how not to suck on and off the field.”
My face catches fire. “You’re insufferable, you know that?” I groan, but my lips twitch into a reluctant smile.
“I know,” he grins, tossing the keyring back to me. “But you love it.” And with that, he winks and saunters off, leaving me flustered and giggling at his audacity.
As I watch him go, a warmth blooms in my chest. Maybe having Jayden around wouldn’t be so bad after all.
The rest of the shopping trip goes by in a blur, and I can’t get Jayden’s smirk or his innuendos out of my head.
After a while, we almost literally bang into each other again. We banter our way through the aisles, surprisingly in sync as we throw items into each other’s carts. It’s actually fun, I realize with a pang of disbelief.
When we finally make our way to the checkout lines, I can’t help but feel a twinge of sadness that this unexpected moment of levity has almost come to an end. “Well, this has been... unexpectedly bearable,” I admit, swiping my card to pay for my groceries.
Jayden flashes me a dimpled grin. “Told you. I can be charming when I want to be. And you’re not so bad yourself.”
“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” I huff, but my smile gives me away.
With our groceries in tow, we head back to the apartment, the tension between us having shifted from slightly antagonistic to something else, something that makes my stomach flip-flop. As we reach the door, we exchange a brief moment of understanding before Jayden keys in a new security code, replacing the one I’d memorized just hours ago.
I shot him a pointed look. “Really?”
“What? Can’t have just anyone barging in on us now, can we?” he winks, ushering me inside. As I pass him, he leans in close, and whispers in my ear, “But I’ll be sure to barge in when you least expect it, love.”
He straightens and his voice returns to normal. “Here’s the new code,” he says, handing it to me on a piece of paper. “And stop losing your keys.”
I feel my cheeks catch fire as I scurry off to my bedroom, flustered and aroused in equal measure.
Later, in the middle of the night, I find myself craving a snack.
Creeping downstairs in my pajamas, I tiptoe to the fridge, careful not to wake my sleeping housemates. I rummage around, grabbing a tub of ice cream and some chocolate chip cookies, before realizing I left my water bottle upstairs.
“Bugger,” I mutter, using a word I learned from my friend Liv, debating whether it’s worth going back to get it.
Before I can make up my mind, heavy footsteps thud down the staircase, and the landing light flicks on. I freeze, cursing my luck as Jayden descends the stairs, wearing only a plush gray towel slung low over his hips, water droplets glistening on his bare chest.
Rivulets of water leave slick lines down the V-shaped contour leading from his obliques to his groin… a V-line or Adonis belt I guess are the technical terms, but Kat always preferred the term ‘cum gutters’ and right now I can’t get that out of my head.
“Sleepless too, sunshine?” he drawls, a smirk playing on his lips.
My cheeks flame as I clutch my midnight snack, trying to think of a witty comeback but failing miserably. His low-slung towel has rendered me speechless once again.
“Oh, come on, Dylan, I thought we were past the awkward stage,” he teases, sauntering over to the fridge, his toned abs rippling with each step.
“What do you want, Jayden?” I huff, craning my neck to avoid his gorgeous, near-naked body.
“A drink, and a spoon,” he smirks, nodding at my ice cream. “And maybe some company, if you’re offering.”
I roll my eyes, but my heart hammers in my chest. “Fine, take one,” I mutter, tossing him a spoon.