Page 102 of Dear Future Husband

“You okay?” he asked, and I failed to notice his paw-like hand move until it was wrapping around my little hand. “You wanna talk about it?”

I really loved this mushy, gushy, full of feelings teddy bear.

“I’m good. I just need to eat and get to bed.”

I smiled and Bear gave my hand one more squeeze before returning his to the steering wheel. I peered out the window, thinking about Trey as much as I wished I wasn’t. Then I thought about Sam, probably still alone up in that room. I needed to call him and apologize, but not tonight. I was done with drama and boys tonight.

Except my imagination didn’t get the memo, as images of me and Trey kissing filled my mind. My kiss with Sam had been—for lack of a better term—cute. Sam was cute. He was an adorable guy I could see myself love getting to know…as a friend, but Trey had a point as much as I despised admitting it.

Trey’s kiss was more than nice.

Trey’s kiss stirred up feelings I would never imagine using to describe a relationship between friends.

33 Pretend

Maybelle

I wanted to be late. I so badly wanted to go against Trey’s reminder to not be tardy to our walk and tutoring session. Just out of spite, but there I was. Up and sneaking out of my apartment to find a grinning Trey waiting outside my door.

“Jerk,” was my only remark as I brushed past him to the stairs and our regular walking path, barely lit by the dim morning.

Trey swiftly caught up, keeping pace right next to me, just as he always did. “Still bitter about last night, then?”

Snorting, I shot him a withering look, but still that grin shined on. “Can we not talk and get this over with?” I pleaded, and Trey—to my surprise and maybe dismay—nodded and strolled on.

Oh. Somehow, I felt like that completely backfired on me.

No. I wanted this, the quiet. For Trey to let me be.

I wanted this.

The trek felt extremely long with the still tension of last night’s events hanging heavy between us.

Fine. I could admit to myself…

I liked when Trey fought me—for me.

Fought to talk to me, tease me, spend time with me,and enrage me in the most exhilarating ways. The fact that he wasn’t this morning, after what happened last night, had my heart in the pits of my stomach.

It shouldn’t.

We continued on, still silent.

What I appreciated about me and Trey was the silence between us wasn’t smothering. It was relieving. Even amidst the leftover uncomfortable stress from the conversation the night prior. I could just be in the company of his quiet presence. Let my mind whir with thoughts or go still with content. It was a freeing sense I only had the pleasure of feeling with him.

I felt a little more clearheaded as we neared the end of the walk. I peered over at him, ready to talk about last night, but he looked—well, he looked like crap.

Correction—it wasn’t possible for Trey to ever truly look bad, but with the way his eyes drooped, his skin paled with a twinge of green—

“Are you okay?”

He dragged his eyes to me. Licking his lips with a hard swallow, he nodded, once. When we reached my apartment door, he huffed, “See you in a bit.”

I wanted to stop him. Argue that maybe we should postpone today’s tutoring and get some obviously needed rest, but Trey was hustling. So instead of hollering down the hall at him and risk aggravating my neighbors, I went inside to shower.

About a half hour later, I was walking to Trey’s apartment.

I loved my solo walks. Almost as much as I loved the walks with Trey, but there was something about the walk alone that had me checking over my shoulder. I didn’t know why, I just felt—watched. Even on my short treks to Trey’s apartment from mine, I never quite felt alone, and it was an unnerving thought.