I find a tray on top of one of her cabinets and fill it with a plate with pancakes, a bottle of syrup (real maple syrup), two forks, two knives, and two glasses of orange juice. I want to put something cute on there like a flower, but there isn't anything at my disposal, so I hope the breakfast is enough to impress her.
"Knock, knock," I say, pushing through the bedroom door. She opens one eye and glares at me.
"You can't dismember me; I brought you breakfast," I say, putting the tray down on the end of the bed.
Her other eye pops open and she sits up, hair askew in the cutest way.
"I told you that I don't eat breakfast early," she says, but I can see her staring at the pancakes and starting to edge toward the tray. Haha, my nefarious plan has worked.
"One plate?" she asks when she finally gets within eating distance.
I shrug.
"We've had each other's junk in our mouths. I think we can share a plate," I say, and she wrinkles her nose at me.
"Haha," she says, picking up a fork.
"Do you want some coffee or anything?" I ask. She shakes her head.
"Nah, this is fine." She attacks the pancakes, and I'm a little concerned she's going to eat right through the plate. Not hungry in the morning, huh?
I sip my orange juice and let her go to town.
"You'd better eat some of this," she says through a mouthful, so I grab a fork and start in on the other side of the plate.
We devour the first plate in minutes, and I get up to make more.
"Actually, would you mind making some coffee?" she asks, pushing her lower lip out in the cutest pout I've ever seen.
"Sure, Luna," I say.
* * *
I leave her place and have to rush home and through a shower so I'm not late for work. I might need a nap later, but I'm definitely feeling energized and refreshed right now.
The day blows by as soon as I blink and then we're back at practice and I have to bite my tongue from talking about this morning or last night or any of it. It's becoming harder and harder to be normal around her. I just want to tweak her ponytail or hold her or call her "Luna" to see her smile.
It's nearly an impossible task when I have to touch her all the time. I see her blushing a few times when I catch her and put her down. I would almost love it if Coach decided we shouldn't be stunt partners anymore, because that would take away a lot of my temptation to touch her.
But then I wouldn't get to touch her as much, and that would be a damn shame. So I'm stuck. Totally. Stuck.
"Hey, lover boy," Tobi whispers in my ear while we take a water break. Freya is laughing with Carrie and Willow about something on the other side of the gym.
"Can I help you?" I ask, raising my eyebrows. I'm wary of Tobi because she seems to ship me and Freya one minute and want to sink it the next.
"You could start by not looking at Freya like you want to propose to her and fuck her in the same breath. How about that?" I narrow my eyes.
"Seriously? I do not look at her like that." She snorts.
"Yeah, you seriously do. You might as well have a neon sign above your head. And she's just as bad, but she's better at hiding it than you are." Yes, I've noticed that time and again.
"So what do you think I should do about it?" I ask, snapping the top of my water bottle shut again.
"I think you should tone it down. Cool off. You're both a little too hot for each other, and it's going to fuck things up. Have you thought about what's going to happen if you crash and burn?" I open my mouth to retort, but honestly? I haven't. I didn't think about what it would do to the squad if Freya and I were on the outs.
"You're the best stunting team we have. Everyone else works hard so they can get to your level. If you suddenly can't work together, it's going to affect everyone else." She waves her hand around to indicate the whole squad. "It's not just about you, you know? I know this team isn't the best, but I think we have a shot of at least making it to Nationals, and I'd like to be on the team when that happens. I know I don't seem like I care, but I do. I also care about Freya. Not so much about you." She gives me a cheeky smile.
"This is my shocked face," I say, giving her a deadpan expression.
"Hilarious. Anyway. Tone it down and keep it in your pants. At least until the season is over." She pats my shoulder and walks away.
"I'll take that under consideration!" I call after her and she flips me off. Charming.
* * *
"What was Tobi talking to you about?" Freya asks that night at my place. She nabbed me after practice and said she wanted to have another session at my apartment. And she brought extra clothes and a toothbrush, but she hasn't mentioned anything about staying over yet.