“I fucking love you,” I said, feeling even bolder.
Her mouth collided with mine, our tongues melding as she held me tight. I expected the kiss to go on longer, but she surprised me by pulling away, all breathless and flushed. She tipped her head to the side, her eyes zeroed in on mine. “Thayer, I am so in love with you.”
I closed my eyes, letting her words settle over me as my body fucking quivered. This was what I’d always hoped would happen. The two of us together. In love. Sharing life’s greatest moments. She peppered my closed eyelids with gentle kisses before covering my face in them like I’d done to hers. I let myself enjoy this attention because if this was a dream, I never wanted to wake up.
I pounded on the outside of the hotel room door, then stepped back, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Footsteps shuffled on the other side. I pulled in a deep breath as the door swung open and Shay stood there. Her head hitched back, clearly not expecting to find me at their door.
“Is he here?” I asked.
Her eyes flashed over her shoulder. “He’s in the shower.”
“Would you mind if I wait?”
She shook her head, then stepped back so I could enter.
I moved past her into their room and could hear the shower running in the bathroom.
She grabbed her coat from the back of a chair and slipped it on. “I’ll give you guys some privacy.”
“Thanks, Shay.”
She nodded encouragingly before moving to the door. She walked out just as the water in the shower switched off.
I glanced around the hotel room, my nerves in overdrive. Not only was I competing in the finals today, but I had things I needed to get off my chest before I got out there.
“Shay?” Kason called as he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips.
“Just me,” I said.
The disgust in his eyes told me I’d overestimated his ability to forgive.
“You want to head to the mountain with me?” I asked, figuring common ground might be the way to go.
“No,” he deadpanned.
I leaned against the small table by the window and crossed my arms. “No, you don’t want to go with me? Or, no, you’re not ready, so you’ll just meet me there?”
“No, I don’t want to go with you.”
I scoffed. “At least you’re honest.”
“Someone in this room needs to be,” he said, grabbing a shirt from his suitcase and slipping it over his head.
“Would it help if I let you hit me this time?”
“I did hit you,” he said, grabbing boxers and removing his towel to pull them on.
“No, you didn’t.”
He grabbed his pants and stepped into them. “Did too.”
I rolled my eyes; he was so damn stubborn.
He continued getting dressed, ignoring me like I wasn’t even there. Did he expect me to get fed up and bail? He had to know I wasn’t about to give up. Because, as immature as it sounded, I was there to get my best friend back.
He bent down to tie his shoe. “Why Giselle?” he asked, his eyes on his shoes.
I didn’t even hesitate. “Because there’s something about her that just takes my breath away every time she enters a room. It’s happened since I was ten, and that shit just won’t go away.”