Page 45 of The One Where They Fall in Love

Elle

I cannot be here, but he insisted

There is ONLY ONE BED

Elle

My life is in shambles

Lucy

This stuff doesn’t happen in real life

Elle

Says the girl living a small-town romance!

Lucy

But what are the chances your apartment floods and you just HAPPEN to have a beautiful man upstairs who offers you his couch?

Elle

I’M AWARE OF THE ODDS LUCILLE!

Lucy

Calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen. You’re going to sleep on his couch, hear him snore, get up, and go to work in the morning. It’s not like you have feelings for him, so it’s just physical attraction. He’s a nice-looking man in close proximity. You can handle that. Right?

Lucy

Right?

I plop the phone on my lap and turn to Thor. He’s laying upside down, with his head in my lap. He looks up at me, an ear flopping to one side, and I chuckle softly, rubbing his belly.

I look over to the bathroom door and watch the steamsneak out from under it. My brain wanders, picturing what’s on the other side of that door, wrapped in all that steam. I shake my head vigorously.

Elle

Right.

Oliver exits the bathroom and thankGodhe is not wearing a towel, because I might have just cackled at the irony of that. He’s wearing a white t-shirt with a faded Led Zeppelin graphic and basketball shorts.

I take a shower after him and it is sensory overload. As soon as I walk into the steamy bathroom, the scent of him surrounds me. His shampoo bottle reads “fresh scent,” but it smells like cinnamon and minty aftershave, undeniablyhim. As I stand in the shower, I can just imagine him standing in the same spot, water running down his body, soap lathering inallthe places.

It’s possibly the fastest shower in the history of the world.

When I exit the bathroom in my oversized pajamas, I see that Oliver has made the couch up into a bed. Two pillows are stacked on one end, and a sheet has been tucked over the cushions. A Stanford blanket is folded in the middle.

“You didn’t have to do this,” I say softly. Oliver shrugs. He is laying on the bed scrolling through his phone, one hand bent behind his head as a pillow. When I move the blanket to lay down and get settled with Thor, I see a glass of water on the side table next to the couch.

“Is there anything else you need?” Oliver asks, putting his phone down.

“I’m good, thank you,” I say, pulling Thor to my chestand petting his head. I’m glad the back of the couch hides my face from Oliver, because I can’t seem to stop smiling. Oliver Cole made a bed for me. He got me water. He’staking care of me.

“Hey,” Oliver says, making me turn around. He’s leaning forward on the bed, resting on his forearms. I’ve been around Oliver for a while now, but something feels different.Somethinghas changed. I’m suddenly taken aback by how beautiful he is. His hair is wet and a few long strands rest on his forehead. A faint stubble shadows his face, and his Adam’s apple bobs with each breath he takes. He looks like the Mediterranean version of Chris Hemsworth, and I almost let out an obnoxious laugh at the idea that I’m about to sleep on his couch.

“Hmm?” I ask, trying to reign my thoughts in.