I frown. “What are you talking about? I’m not sick.”
“You would only skip the bar if you were dying.”
I roll my eyes. So dramatic.
“Or,” I say, flicking on the stove, “I just wanna stay home with you tonight.”
His brows lift in surprise, the corner of his mouth lifting a little.
And because I can’t help myself, I glance at him over my shoulder and flash him a teasing smirk. “Also means we can fuck without the guys hearing us.”
He goes red in seconds. His ears, neck, cheeks, and I fucking eat it up.
“You’re loud as hell,” I add, turning to flip the first dumpling into the pan. “And even though it’s hot as fuck covering that pretty mouth of yours, I’d kind of like to hear you moan my name.”
He lets out a quiet groan and turns away, running a hand down his face.
A chuckle leaves my lips. Teasing Nathan is my favorite thing in the world. No doubt.
He pushes off the counter and comes to stand beside me, peering into the pan as I drop the dumplings into it.
I lift my eyes to his—fuck, those eyes—and arch a brow. “I am capable of making some dumplings, ya know?” Sure, they’re frozen… but still. “I don’t need supervision.”
He hums. “I’m just making sure you don’t burn them.”
“No faith in me,” I add with a sigh, but I flip them anyway before they actually do burn, because he’s right. I get distracted too easily around him and forget about everything else.
He chuckles, his arm brushing mine when he reaches over for the oil, pouring a little in.
I throw him a quick wink and he tilts his head, his lips curving into a small smile, something warm settling under my ribs.
He folds his arms loosely, watching me cook like this is just what we do. And my brain jumps ahead, letting myself imagine doing this with him years from now.
My throat tightens, liking that image a little too much.
I grab a pitcher of water, pouring some into the pan to steam them, and a few minutes later, when the dumplings are done, I dump them into a bowl, grab two forks off the counter, and tilt my head toward the living room.
“C’mon.”
He follows me and drops down on the couch beside me, close enough that his thigh presses against mine.
He waits maybe all of ten seconds before he reaches in and steals one, but as soon as he bites into it, the steaming soup inside burns his mouth.
“Shit.” He jerks back, fanning his mouth.
I lose it, tipping my head back as I let out a laugh. Nathan shoots me an unimpressed look, as he reaches for a soda and drinks it, cooling the burn in his mouth.
He puts on a random movie and we eat in silence, his thigh touching mine and his fingers finding mine between us on the couch. I pretend to be focused on the screen even though I’m very much not.
A few minutes into the movie, Nathan shifts, resting against the back of the couch, where my arm is stretched behind him, his hair tickling my skin. He looks relaxed. Happier than he usuallylets himself look, and I’m so fucking happy I get to be the reason why.
Fuck, I just want the guys to head out so we have the house to ourselves and I can kiss him without worrying one of them will come down.
I nudge him lightly with my knee. “You been working on that comic lately?”
He nods, his eyes still on the movie. “Yeah. Almost done. I just have the last two pages to finish.”
“That’s good,” I say with a nod. “Because I, uh… actually found something for you earlier.”