SWNOVELS Chapter Coast to Coast: Prologue
Sitting on the couch, I glance over at Simon whose eyes are glued to mine. A smirk tugs on the corner of his mouth and he remains silent as he raises a finger to his lips. My brother, Sterling, is arguing with his girlfriend, Olivia, about the movie we just watched. I let out a yawn, lifting my arms up as I stretch out my spine.
My eyes glance back and forth between the two of them as they both rise to their feet. I’m not even paying attention to their futile argument anymore. It’s still kind of weird, seeing my brother and my best friend in a relationship, but honestly, I don’t think that there is anyone better for either of them.
“Look,” I start as I grab one of the blankets draped over the back of the couch and pull it down onto my lap. “I’m pretty damn tired and you guys are in my bedroom right now. Care to take this somewhere else?”
Simon coughs to cover up his laugh as Sterling and Olivia both turn to look at me. Sterling narrows his eyes, giving me his infamous dirty look, while Olivia smiles at me.
“I’m so sorry, Stell,” she says, her voice soft and gentle as she slides her hand into Sterling’s. “We’ll go upstairs so you can get some sleep. And maybe then your brother will come to his senses and agree with me.”
“Doubtful,” Sterling grumbles, shaking his head as he follows after Olivia. “The ending was done artfully. It leaves it open to each viewer’s interpretation.”
“No way,” Olivia scoffs, rolling her eyes at him. “There needed to be more closure.”
The two of them disappear upstairs and a sigh slips from my lips as I unfold the blanket and lay it across my body. Grabbing one of the pillows that they gave me to use, I tuck it in the corner of the sectional couch and flop down, pulling the blanket with me. Lifting my head, I glance over at Simon, who is sitting there with an eyebrow cocked.
“You want me to leave?” he questions me, his voice hoarse as his steel gray eyes search mine.
I swallow roughly and shake my head. “You can stay, as long as you’re quiet.”
“And what if I’m not?”
“Then you can go to your room too,” I tell him. “Believe it or not, it’s exhausting sleeping on a couch every night.”
Simon stares at me for a moment and I’m lost in the metallic color of his eyes. “You can take my bed and I’ll sleep down here.”
A soft laugh escapes me and I shake my head at him. “I appreciate the offer, but I only have a few more days here, so it’s not that big of a deal. I’m ready to head back to California, though.”
Simon’s eyebrows pull together slightly. “You grew up on the East Coast, right? What’s so special about the west?”
“Nothing special,” I reply with a shrug, attempting to get more comfortable on the couch. “It’s just a lot different there. Nothing seems to slow down whereas it almost feels like we move on island time here. And it’s much warmer.”
“Yuck.” Simon’s face contorts. “How are you supposed to play lake hockey then?”
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head at him as another laugh escapes me. “Such a one-track mind… You skate indoors, like normal people.”
“That’s boring.”
I raise an eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on my lips. “You’re boring.”
Simon’s tongue darts out as he wets his lips and my gaze is instantly drawn to the act. “I’m far from boring, baby. You want me to show you?”
“Nice try, Simon, but I’m not falling for that one.”
He simply shrugs as he rises to his feet. My eyes widen as he begins to move over to me. He stops beside the couch, hovering above me. Rolling onto my back, our gazes collide and my breath catches in my throat. The way his dark hair hangs in waves down to his ears is distracting me.
He’s been my brother’s roommate for almost two years. I’m not blind, so of course I’ve noticed him every damn time I’ve been here. That doesn’t change anything. The furthest we’ve ever gone was flirting, and I can’t let it go past that. As fun as it would be, I have an entire life in California… which includes a boyfriend.
“What are you doing, Simon?” I whisper as he bends down, caging me in with his hands on either side of my head.
He tilts his head to the side, his steel eyes burning holes through mine. There’s a look of mischief in his gaze that melts with something indistinguishable. Suddenly, he pulls the pillow out from under my head. My head lifts up before falling back onto the couch in a rush.
Simon stands back up, clutching the pillow as a soft chuckle vibrates in his chest. My face contorts, my eyes slicing to his.
“What the hell was that for?”
He tosses the pillow onto the other side of the sectional as a smirk pulls on his lips. “That’s my pillow and you’re in my spot.”
My eyebrows tug together as I abruptly sit up. “What are you talking about? I’ve been sleeping here the past week, using that pillow that my brother gave me to use.”
Simon shakes his head at me. “You’re sleeping in my bed until you leave. I’ll take the couch.”
“No thanks,” I shake my head, attempting to stay strong against his persistence. “I’m not sleeping between your dirty-ass sheets that you’ve had other girls in.”
Simon raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you jealous, Stella?”
“Absolutely not,” I lie through my teeth, cringing. “I have a boyfriend, just so you know.”
Simon snorts. “Like that really means anything.”
I stare back at him in disbelief. The audacity of this asshole. I don’t know if I should be more offended that he thinks I would cheat on my boyfriend or if I should be pissed off at his cockiness. Like he can get any girl he wants. Ignoring Simon, I rise to my feet, abandoning my spot on the couch as I walk around the back of it.
“Where are you going?”
I glance at him as I pause in the doorway. “To get some sleep since you won’t leave me alone.”
The corners of Simon’s lips lift. “Ah, so you can follow directions.”
I scoff, rolling my eyes before turning my back to him as I begin to exit the room.
“Stella,” I hear his voice call out from where he’s now laying on the couch. Turning around, I look back at him again with slight irritation written across my expression. “For the record, my sheets are clean. No other girl has ever been in my bed.”
My breath catches in my throat as his steel gray eyes burn holes through mine from across the room. My heart pounds erratically in my chest, my lips parting, but words fail me. Instead, I simply nod before spinning on my heel and hightailing it out of the living room.
God forbid I stick around here any longer.
I might do something stupid… like ask him to join me in his bed.