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He looks up when he hears me, and his eyes travel from my pajamas down to the pink slippers, then back to my face.
"Cute," he tells me, smiling.
"You’re getting the full marathon and snacks effect. This is what pure leisure looks like."
"Relaxed looks good on you," he says, and then pushes a plate with slices of flatbread on it.
I pick it up, careful of the hot cheese. "Did you have some?"
"Not yet. I was waiting for you."
That shouldn’t make me smile as much as it does. I take a bite while he watches, then nod.
"Good?"
"Very. You may have a future in following oven instructions."
"Finally. Something for the résumé."
He takes a piece for himself while I find a tray for the wine and plates. His ice pack is back in the freezer, but he’s still careful with his arm when he reaches for the popcorn.
"I’ve got that," I tell him.
He lets me take the bowl, then picks up the tray with his good hand.
I follow him into his bedroom. A lamp beside the king-size bed lights the dark upholstered headboard and charcoal bedding. Across from it, a television hangs above an electric fireplace, blue flames flickering behind the glass. The windows take up most of the far wall, with the city lit up beyond them.
His apartment is nicer than mine downstairs, and that extends to the bedroom. It’s a little more masculine than I’d choose, but between the soaking tub, the fireplace, and that bed, I’d probably never leave if it belonged to anyone else.
Wolf puts the tray on the low wooden dresser, and I set the popcorn beside it. He’s arranged extra pillows on his side for his shoulder, leaving the other side for me.
The bed is enormous. We could stay on opposite sides all night without accidentally touching each other.
I’m not sure that’s as reassuring as it should be.
"I’ll behave, Baylor."
"I know."
And I do. That’s part of the problem. He’s had plenty of opportunities to make this uncomfortable, especially after Saturday, and he hasn’t taken any of them.
I take off my slippers and get in while he brings over the snacks. Once everything is within reach, he settles beside me with a pillow supporting his arm and hands me the remote.
"Your show, your snacks, and I’ll be the perfect gentleman."
"I’ll let you know if you're the perfect gentleman after the first episode. It will depend on how much you talk during the show"
"I won’t say a word. I even waited to eat."
"I noticed. That took a lot of self-control."
He smiles and takes another piece of flatbread while I find Couple’s Cove. Once the episode starts, I set the remote beside me and pick up my glass of rosé.
We make it through most of an episode before he starts asking questions.
Not about why the man on the screen keeps telling his girlfriend that the other woman understands him better. Wolf seems to have formed a fairly clear opinion about that already.
He wants to know why she hasn’t left.