Page 31 of Indescribable Love

She groaned. “Ugh…I’m saying this badly because I know it’s going to sound worse when I just say it.”

“Um…”

“I only watch TV in bed!” she quickly blurted before ducking her head and resting it on his chest. “I know that sounds lame or like I’m looking for a reason to get you into bed…”

He grinned. “Well, I would hope you didn’t need a reason other than me being completely irresistible…”

“Simon…” she whined, lifting her head. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I! And if it makes you feel any better, I was going to ask if you wanted to watch TV in bed and thought that made me sound like some sort of creep. We just finally got onto the same page and the last thing I want to do is say something to ruin it.”

That’s seemed to make her relax. “How about this—give me like…ten minutes and then join me upstairs in my room?”

He was pretty sure his jaw was on the floor.

She didn’t want to join him in…his bed? Was she for real?

“Um…we could totally hang out down here in my room,” he suggested, but Juliette was already shaking her head.

“I can’t really explain it, but I think with the way we both feel about taking things slow, we need to do this up in my room.” She paused. “Because I know if I asked you to leave, you would.” Then she gave him an impish smile. “However, if you asked me to leave, I probably would find a reason to stay.”

And that made him go hard in an instant. “You’re killing me…”

Placing a soft kiss on his cheek, she slipped out of his arms. “Ten minutes.” And then she walked away with a sassy sway to her hips and it felt like a lifetime before he’d see her again.

Instead of standing there and obsessing about it, he went to his room and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Staring at himself in the mirror, Simon felt like this was casual and comfortable to go up and hang out in, without looking like he was trying too hard to be casual.

Plus, he didn’t wear pajamas, so…this was it.

“Okay, okay…this isn’t a big deal,” he murmured, raking a hand through his hair. “We’re just…hanging out. In a bed.” Then he stared a little harder at his reflection and cursed his earlier decision not to shave. Running a hand over his jaw, he knew it was too late. Shaving would take too long and Juliette would definitely notice and probably think there was something wrong with him.

Bracing his hands on the vanity, Simon hung his head and sighed. There was nothing he could do, so he needed to just let it go and check the time.

Five more minutes.

“What am I supposed to do for five minutes? And am I supposed to go up there at exactly the ten-minute mark? Should I hang back?” Pacing, he considered his options. “Definitely don’t go up early. That would be bad. Should I get snacks? Drinks?” Shaking his head, he knew the answer to that. “We just had cake. No snacks.” His hands felt a little clammy and he was starting to second-guess whether this was a smart thing to do.

Juliette worked for him and he didn’t want that to change, but…what if them getting involved ruined that? What if…what if he fell hard and started thinking about a future and she wasn’t in the same place? What if…?

“What if I stopped overthinking this and just went upstairs and enjoyed some time with a beautiful woman?”

So that’s what he did.

A quick glance at the clock showed it wasn’t quite ten minutes, and that was fine. He stopped in the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water, made sure all the doors were locked, and then slowly walked up the stairs. The door to Juliette’s room was slightly ajar and he let out a long breath before he finally walked down the hall to it.

“Knock, knock…”

Juliette appeared, and the sight of her took his breath away. She had washed off her makeup—not that it mattered because he’d seen her makeup-free almost every morning—her dark hair was up in a messy bun, and she had on a pair of gray knit pajama shorts with little white hearts on them and a matching button-up top. It was the most adorable ensemble and showed a whimsical side to her that was brand new to him.

And he liked it.

“I um…I brought these.” He held up the bottles of water and felt like a total doofus. “I mean…”

“What a great idea,” she said, taking them from him. She placed them on one of the bedside tables and he saw that the bed was already set up for them—stacked pillows and the blankets were turned down. “I don’t know if there’s anything you particularly like to watch or if there’s something you wanted to see.” Picking up the remote, she grinned and sat down on the bed. “But I’m good with whatever you’d like.”

So many dirty thoughts raced through his head, but he kept them to himself. It was safer to just walk around to the opposite side of the bed and get comfortable.

“Please don’t think I’m weird, but…I love documentaries,” she told him. “Whether it’s true crime, nature, or celebrities, they are totally my jam.” Leaning back against the pillows, she turned her head toward him. “I probably shouldn’t have said that, right? With your whole documentary thing, that was pretty thoughtless of me. Sorry.”