HAILEY

What the hell was I thinking? Of course, my parents wouldn't mind having Chris and me sleeping in the same bed. We freaking living together, for heaven's sake. And as far as they know, we are getting married!

I should've thought this through, though. When Chris told me his parents were spending Christmas at a retreat, inviting him to come with me was an easy decision. I might have gone a bit too far with the whole fake-engagement thing, but I swear it all made sense in my head at the time. He had nowhere to go and would spend the holiday alone. I needed a buffer between me and my mom's constant nagging.

Chris is silent as we head upstairs but I can feel the energy radiating from his body as we walk. It's not like we haven't both fallen asleep on the couch while watching TV or something. But somehow, having to share a bed with him takes things to a whole new level.

I've had a crush on him from the moment we started getting to know each other better. Of course, I'm not blind and couldn't ignore the fact he's so damn handsome when we first met. But he's always had a girl under his arms and my heart was pretty much a mess after breaking up with Tom.

So, at some point, we became friends, or best friends as he likes to joke. But it doesn't mean, this stupid crush has gone away.

"Looks like a fifteen-year-old girl threw up here." I hear Chris say as we step inside my bedroom, and I roll my eyes.

Everything is pretty much the same from when I left for college, and my love for boy bands and girly things can be seen all over the walls and furniture. My mom squeezed some gym stuff in a corner, but my dad always made sure I had a bit of myself in the house after I left over ten years ago.

A sense of nostalgia washes over me as I watch Chris examine the medals and trophies by the window, but when he grabs a trophy I got in a chess competition, I know I'll never hear the end of it.

"You were in a chess club, really?" He chuckles.

"What's wrong with that?" I take it from his hand, remembering how different I was at school. "Told you I didn't really hang out with the popular kids."

"Sorry, I'm just messing with you," he says, his hand touching my shoulder.

"It's okay." I clear my throat. "We should go to bed. I'm sure my mom has a big day planned out for tomorrow.

"Oh, I can sleep on the floor." He takes a step back, bumping into my mom's treadmill.

"Come on, Chris. I won't let you sleep on the floor. We're both adults here. We can share the bed." I head to my suitcase to grab a pair of pajamas ; too aware of how my heartbeat has increased. We're both adults here and comfortable enough around each other.

"Uh..." he murmurs, but I just shrug. We can perfectly share a bed. Right?

"There's a bathroom down the hall. I'll use the one downstairs. Would you like a glass of water or something?"

"I'm good, thanks." He walks to his duffle bag to get his things, and I close the door behind me, letting out a long breath as I walk downstairs.

Pulling my hair up in a bun, I step under the shower and wash the airplane smell away. I take my time brushing my teeth and spreading lotion on my skin to make sure the white elephant in my room is already asleep when I come back.

Only I'm not so lucky and Chris is wide awake, turning and tossing as he tries to find a comfortable position. He sleeps in a king California and now needs to fit his full 6'2'' self in an old double bed. I can understand his struggle.

"Here, I brought you a firmer pillow," I say as I turn off the lights and settle down by his side.

"Ah." He adjusts the pillow under his head. "You're the best, Hails."

"Thanks for doing this..." I roll onto my back, my shoulder touching his.

He doesn't say anything and the sudden and simple skin-to-skin contact makes me pause.

Oh my God! I'm sharing a bed with Chris.

The sheets rustle as I turn my body to him, wondering what is going on in his mind. I want to touch him, to say something but the way he lies stiff as a plank as he stares into the ceiling discourages me.

"Is it weird that I'm glad to be here?" He turns his face to me, and my heart slams into my chest.

Damn, he's so handsome.

Moonlight ghosts over us, highlighting his clear blue eyes and perfect full lips. God, what the hell am I doing here? I should say goodnight and turn my back to him. I should remind myself why he's off-limits.

He's the one person in my life I can fully trust, the one guy who sees past my looks and into my soul.

My best friend.

Only it's hard to think straight when I catch him looking at me as if maybe he wants more too. As if maybe I'm not alone in my feelings here.

"Is it?" he whispers, pulling me away from my thoughts, and I swear this time his eyes drop to my lips with a mixture of longing and hesitation. 

_______

A/N: Sometimes the chemistry is so strong, it's just hard to resist, right? ;)

Please don't forget to vote and follow me here at @CelesteABrook <3

XOXO

Celeste