"No. But yes. Somehow those two at the same time. You might not even notice it," I told him. "It is all very subtle. There will be a lot of pointed comments, jabs, that don't make any sense without context."
"Tune 'em out," Huck suggested, shrugging. "If you can't tell them off, tune them out."
"That's a lot easier said than done."
"Maybe," he agreed. "But you'll have me there to run a little interference," he said. "Are you ready to play pretend?" he asked, the way his words dropped low and the meaning they had behind them making a little shiver of anticipation move through me.
I hadn't been so wrapped up with the memories of all the ugly things my family had said to me over the years that I hadn't had more than enough time to fret over the fact that Huck and I were going to have to play the happy couple.
Which likely meant his hands would be on me, something that I knew was going to be problematic to my system that already wanted him more than was wise.
"Sure," I agreed, my voice coming out squeakier than I intended, stranger than I'd ever heard it before.
"You know you're going to have to get within three feet of me to pull it off," he said, smile teasing.
So he had noticed.
I thought I had been pretty discreet about it, but I had been very careful over the past few days not to even brush him in passing. Because anytime he had his hands on me, there was a massive response in my system to his nearness.
Hell, when he'd pulled me somewhat violently out of the pool, I'd felt a wave of unexpected desire wash over my confused system.
Partly because being able to lift me out of water with one arm like that was impressive, but also because he'd been so protective in that moment that he had done something so extra, so alpha.
The cavewoman part of my brain just responded to all that brawn, all that bravado.
I'd felt overheated the whole rest of the day, anytime I remembered it.
So after needing to slip my hand between my thighs in bed that night, to ease the ache of need, I decided that I needed to stay away from him, to make sure we didn't even breathe the same damn air if at all possible.
I'd been careful about it, getting up before he did to get my coffee, heading back to my room with it, losing myself for hours in my games, going back down when I heard him out back working out.
When he did surprise me by coming into a room at the same time I was there, I found a reason to wedge myself next to Seeley or Che or McCoy, just so Huck couldn't move in at my side.
It was over the top, but felt oddly necessary to be able to keep cohabitation without things getting complicated or messy.
"I can fake it when the situation arises," I assured him, finding a little bit of my spine as I glanced back at my reflection in the mirror.
I didn't miss the way Huck's gaze slid down my back, and over my ass, landing there for a long moment until he let out a deep breath.
"So, you have anything you want me to know?" he asked, choosing to make the conversation move away from touchy subjects, knowing we had to spend the day together, and likely trying to make it easier on the both of us.
"Ah... don't bring up my seizures," I said, shrugging.
"Why the fuck not?"
"It's a touchy subject with my family."
"Some shit you can't control is a touchy subject for your family?" he asked, brows lowering.
"It's a long story."
"You seem to be full of those."
"Yeah, well, it has been an interesting life, I guess. Okay, so, the walk is about half an hour if we hustle. And I checked the train... what?" I asked, finding his head shaking in our reflection.
"We are going to try something different."
"Different how?" I asked.
"My bike."
"Oh, ah, really, the walking isn't that bad," I assured him.
"Maybe not," he agreed. "But why not try, right? Might make life a fuck of a lot easier."
"Look, I just don't think—"
"Why not try?"
"Because I don't want to have a full-blown panic attack on a day that is already pretty damn anxiety-inducing," I told him.
"Look, I get it. I won't push you like your brother. I'm just suggesting you sit on it and let me turn it over. If