in and taste your tonsils? Come on. Hot like burning. I’ve watched a video like that. I’ll send you the link.”
Bailey squirmed and pushed her away. “You’re obviously still messed up in the head.”
“Pfft.” Her snort was far less than the graceful sounds she usually made. She was known for how beautiful her singing voice was and had been the lead in the last three musicals at the theater.
“Nice, Ash.”
“I call it like I see it. He didn’t even look at me. For real, Bails. He was so into you.”
It was a nice fantasy, but Bailey didn’t plan on holding his breath. Instead, he grabbed the remote out of Ashley’s hands and fired up a streaming service. He started Steel Magnolias, and as usual, Ashley’s focus was completely on the movie. She knew it by heart, saying the lines silently as the movie played.
And every single time, at that part, she cried. Bailey teared up himself, especially when M’Lynn had her screaming fit. Before he knew it, the credits were rolling and Ashley was curled up on the love seat with his super-soft throw pulled over her legs.
“You can have the bed. I’ll sleep out here.”
“I’m fine. I’m comfy and not moving. Go sleep in your bed.”
Bailey tucked the blanket more firmly around her and kissed her forehead. He recognized the tone and knew better than to argue. “I’m here if you need me, okay?”
“I know. And Bails?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you. You’re an amazing friend.”
Bailey rubbed his hand over her hair and smiled. “You aren’t so bad yourself. Most days.”
She laughed, and the tears that had started forming in her eyes disappeared. “Good night.”
Bailey went into his room and took a quick shower before changing into old gym shorts and a T-shirt. He normally slept in his boxers, but with only one bathroom in his apartment, he wanted Ashley to be comfortable walking in.
He couldn’t resist the urge to double check the locks on all the windows before he went to bed. One good thing about living upstairs in an old house was the heavy and loud windows. Since Bailey could barely open them himself, he’d know if anyone tried to get in that way.
The front door, though…
He grabbed the broom from his bedroom closet and unscrewed the handle before carrying it downstairs. He managed to use it as a wedge between the bottom stair and the door. No one would get in that way, at least not without him hearing it.
Bailey went back upstairs and plugged his phone into the charger on his nightstand. After climbing into bed, he started chewing his lip. Maybe he should check in with Logan and see if everything was okay.
He’d put the paper with Logan’s number on his dresser. He stared across the room at it and continued to chew his lip. It had been a few hours. Surely Logan had some sort of update. It wouldn’t be weird to call him at three in the morning to check in.
Then again, Logan was probably busy.
Or asleep.
Either way, it would be a bad idea to call and interrupt.
Something thumped, and Bailey’s heart began to race. He grabbed his phone and shot out of bed to get Logan’s number. Then he heard the very distinct sound of his downstairs neighbor peeing. The guy ran into the wall every single night when he got up to use the bathroom. It probably had something to do with the amount of beer cans in their shared recycling bin.
The toilet flushed, and he heard more stumbling footsteps from downstairs. Then nothing. Bailey took the paper back to his bed. It would probably be a good idea to put Logan’s number into his phone. Just in case he needed to quick-dial him.
Bailey smoothed out the paper and created a new contact. Then his finger hovered over the dial button for a solid minute.
God, he was an idiot.
He plugged in his phone and got back under the covers.
He couldn’t get Logan out of his mind, though. It had been a long time since he’d had such a physical reaction to someone. It normally took a while before he felt more than a passing attraction to a person, but with Logan… his body had hummed from the moment he’d locked eyes on him.
When Logan had asked Bailey to trust him… his entire soul seemed to react to the question. With a groan, Bailey grabbed the spare pillow from the other side of the bed and attempted to smother himself with it. This wasn’t one