Page 17 of Cloudless

KETCHUP

KAM

My phone vibrates in my pocket. I reluctantly shift my attention away from Lila, stiffly loading her plate with the chicken enchilada casserole that Mace made this morning.

Dax’s fingers fly across his phone screen from his seat across from me. My phone vibrates once again as his blue-grey eyes lift to mine. He smirks like the jackass he is as I pull my phone from my pocket.

THE BENCH WARMERS GROUP CHAT

Dax

I like her

Mace

Me too

Wyatt

You hardly know her.

Dax

Don’t need to. Did you see the way Kam shot up like his ass was on fire when he heard that car door close?

Kam

I’m right here, you know.

Dax

And the way he lit up like a Christmas tree when she decided to stay for lunch?

Kam

Still right here.

Mace

Or the way he’s not stopped smiling since he sat down.

Well, until he started reading our texts, anyway.

Heads turn in my direction from my caseless phone thunking against the wooden table as I turn it face down.

Ellie shoots Dax and Mace an icy glare as their fingers wildly tap on their screens, oblivious to the danger in Ellie’s eyes. A shiver runs through me as memories fly through my mind of our childhood that make me thankful her ire isn’t directed at me. “No phones at the table, kids.”

Their phones disappear into their pockets in a flash. Their eyes stay downcast in remorse as they mumble their apologies.

My eyes gravitate to Lila without my permission. A blush creeps over her cheeks as she realizes the only seat left at the table is next to me. The smirk pulling at my lips falls when the scraps on her plate come into focus.

My brows draw down as my eyes fall to my plate. I’m pretty sure she could add her meager portions to mine, and I wouldn’t even notice.

Steam floats above my plate in a mesmerizing dance as Lila settles into her seat next to me. Her quick intake of breath when our knees touch under the table transforms my smirk into a full grin.

I can’t help but chuckle as her seat scrapes against the hardwood floor as she fidgets. I hold my breath in anticipation of an accidental contact that never comes. The strength of my disappointment is alarming.

A thunk vibrates through the table as Mace plops a ketchup bottle in front of Posey’s face. Lila turns ridged next to me as Posey reaches for the bottle. “Don’t squeeze too hard, Ladybug.”

I turn in time to watch a silent war play out on Lila’s face. She bites her lip as she watches her sister struggle to open the cap of the squeeze bottle. Her hands are clasped so tightly in her lap that her knuckles are turning white from the effort she takes to not reach out and help.

My seat between the two sisters has me volleying my head back and forth between them like I’m at a tennis match.

Posey’s brows draw down in adorable concentration as the cap finally pops open. The scene before me transforms into slow motion as she turns the bottle upside down and squeezes.

A fart-like sound erupts from the bottle as ketchup shoots like a streamer across Posey’s plate, onto my plate, and finally, up onto my shirt.

I feel a drop or two of the cool condiment on my chin as it rapidly warms from the temperature of my skin.

My eyes turn to Lila in time to watch her sink down in her seat. Her fingers massage a constant rhythm into her temples as I look down to see my new white shirt painted red.

Posey grimaces as the sound of ketchup dripping from her sticky fingers onto her plate fills the quiet room. Tears rim her eyes as she whispers so silently I almost can’t hear her, “Sorry, Kam.”

An easy smile transforms my face as I slip the ketchup covered bottle from her tiny fingers.

“Hey, it’s alright. It’s nothing a little wash won't—” My words die on my lips as the slimy bottle slips from my grasp.

The deafening thunk of the full bottle landing on the table fills my ears as a stream of red shoots from its top.

The stream flies in slow motion toward Lila’s pristine, white dress like it's caught her heat signature.

Lila slowly blinks in confusion as she looks down at her likely ruined dress. A small smile lifts her lips as the rest of our group erupts into laughter around the table.

I watch in fascination as Lila’s face transforms until she’s barely containing her laughter. It feels like my face might split open from smiling so hard when she finally releases her genuine laugh.

It’s a new goal of mine to hear that sound as often as possible.

Dax doubles over to clutch his stomach as his laughter rises above everyone else's. Mace wipes at the corners of his eyes as he says in between fits of laughter, “I am not helping clean that up.”

Ellie’s smile beams as she watches Wyatt’s rare laughter trickle through the room.

A quick glance at Posey shows her previous tears of sadness have turned into tears of laughter. A quick poke to her side doubles her laughter as I say, “See, you’re not the only one making messes, Rosie Posey!”

A sense of rightness settles over me as I watch the people I care most about sharing in their laughter.

Ellie tears off paper towels as she looks up at me, a smile permanently etched on her face. “Go get cleaned up.”

I give her a grateful smile as I slide my chair back. “Thanks, sis.”

Lila’s still shaking with laughter when I grab her hand and drag her through the living room and up the stairs. Even though her fingers feel far too delicate in my hand, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.

Nervousness hits when I open the door to my room. I only have seconds to wonder if I left any boxers out this morning before the door slides shut behind us.

The sudden stillness of the air closes in around us until all I can hear are our labored breaths as we catch our breath after the much deserved laughter.

Lila’s chest rises and falls as her eyes roam over my dresser, open closet door, nightstand, and settle on my queen bed.

Her eyes jump to mine when I clear my throat like she’s been caught doing something she shouldn’t. I can’t help but smirk as a stunning blush creeps over her cheeks.

I continue on like I didn’t just catch her checking out my bed. “Sorry about that. I didn’t realize how slippery the bottle was going to be.”

A smile lights her voice as I disappear into my walk-in closet. “Don’t worry about it. It made Posey feel better. That’s all that matters.” I hear her smile fade before she continues, “Thanks for not making a big deal out of it.”

My brows dip as I thumb through my clothes, trying to find something that won't drown her in fabric. “Why would I make a big deal out of it? It’s just a little ketchup.”

Her shoes click on the floor as she moves around my room. “Yeah, well, most guys wouldn’t take a seven-year-old squirting ketchup all over them nearly as well as you did.”

“I’m just happy to see her eating something she likes.” I select one of my favorite t-shirts I’ve had since high school and move on to my shorts drawer. “How did that thing you needed to take care of go?”

She blows out a frustrated breath as I settle on a pair of shorts with a drawstring. “It went well. I guess.”

I raise my eyebrows as I come out of the closet to find her looking through my movie collection on top of my dresser. “You guess?” She flies back from the dresser like it’s burnt her as I chuckle. “You can look at them. It doesn’t bother me if you want to snoop.”

She crosses her arms and quickly uncrosses them as she realizes she just smudged ketchup all over herself. “I, uh, wasn’t snooping.”

I hand her a bundle of clothes as I chuckle. “Sure. Whatever you say. These will be huge on you, but they’ll do while we put your dress in the washer.”

Her fingers brush mine as she takes possession of the bundle. Blushed cheeks have become a constant feature on her face.

Now I need to think about literally anything else other than her stripping out of her clothes in my private space. I gesture over my shoulder to my attached bathroom. “You can, uh, change in there?”

Why the hell did I phrase that like a question?

Lila swallows thickly as she nods. Her eyes never stray from mine as she says, “Yeah, uh, okay.”

The constant magnetic pull I feel toward this woman lessens to a bearable level as she closes my bathroom door between us.

I grab my shirt behind my neck and rip it over my head. I’m not a claustrophobic person, but the walls of my room feel like they’re closing in around me the longer I stare at my bathroom door.

I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths as I count to twenty in my head. Counting has always been a great way for me to stay focused and calm my nerves before a game. There's no reason it shouldn’t work now.

One.

Lila is in my bathroom.

Two.

Lila is mostly naked in my bathroom.

Three.

Lila is putting on my clothes.

Four.

Lila is putting on my clothes in my bathroom.

Five.

Lila is mostly naked, putting on my clothes, in my bathroom.

Holy fucking shit.

My mind isn’t any clearer and my heart isn’t any calmer by the time I reach twenty. If anything, I’ve only doubled the images of a naked Lila in my bathroom. Images that really shouldn’t be there if I’m just her friend.

I groan as I scrub my hand over my face. A deep breath slightly calms my nerves before I open my eyes. My heart doubles its efforts as she cracks open the bathroom door. “Can I, uh, come out now?”

I twist the fabric of my soiled shirt in my hands as I say, “Yeah, you can, um—” Don’t put emphasis on the word come. Don’t put emphasis on the word come. “—come out.”

Lila’s eyes double as the bathroom door bounces off the doorstop with a solid thunk. A quick glance down shows my bare chest where a clean shirt should be.

I look back up to watch in fascination as her pupils dilate and her breathing grows shallow. I only have a moment to take in how damn good she looks in my clothes.

Her eyes trace a path over my naked chest that I can feel all the way to my toes. I don’t recognize the gravel in my voice when I say, “Eyes up here, Sunshine.”