𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞

C H A R L O T T E

I didn't know he knew how to cook... The text from Farris reads, followed by a discreetly taken photo of my boyfriend in his kitchenette, cooking me a meal, and wearing nothing but a pair of old volleyball shorts that look a few years too small on his ass.

Keep em' coming. I reply and receive a green-faced emoji. I roll my eyes and slump in my bed. I'm bolting up into a sitting position the second I think of FaceTiming Alexander. That way we can talk while he cooks, and I'll get to watch him while he does.

He picks up on the second ring and his phone is way too close to his face. "Honey I know you're not wearing a shirt. I just wanted to hang out while you cook, I'm bored." He smiles and sets the phone up against something on the counter so that I can see his entire upper body.

"I knew I should've brought you over here. I just didn't want you moving around too much today. Don't wanna shock the system. Plus it's not nearly as clean here," He pouts, looking around.

"That's okay, I know I should stay here. I just wish I had a kitchen for you to cook in. By the way, what are you making us?" He looks down with his eyebrows furrowed.

"All I really know how to make is chicken and rice, so I added veggies and am attempting a stir-fry."

"Mhmm that sounds good. The Alexander specialty."

"You know, we still call each other by our full, long names. When are you gonna start calling me Xan or Xander?" He smiles at me and I stick my tongue out.

"You mean the names everyone else calls you? Never. I called you honey a minute ago, that's shorter," I point out and his smile turns to a smirk.

"I noticed that. Did it even feel natural?" He asks.

I shake my head. "Not at all. I love your name. Al-ex-an-der. Or I could call you muffin?" I giggle, snuggling back into my covers when I feel a draft come in from the window.

"Yeah, it sounds so good when you say it. I can't complain," He says and I blush. "Can't believe I snagged myself a British girlfriend. I've peaked." He stirs everything in the pan, smiling to himself as he does and I press my lips together.

"You're too much. Look at you. My abs could never compare to those," I nod my head towards the screen where I can clearly see the hard and defined lines of his abdomen, chiseled to perfection from hours in the gym and on the court daily. "I don't even have abs anymore," I pout, lifting up my shirt a bit to look down at myself.

"Damn. And that's why I was with you. Hey, listen, something came up—" I scoff a laugh, cutting him off. His eyes soften as he bends down to rest his forearms on the counter and moves his face in front of the camera. "You're just taking it easy, they'll come back when you do. For now, though, the priority is getting you all better. It's just a couple of rest days so you can come back stronger."

I roll my eyes fondly. "It's more than a couple."

"It's as many as you need, Charlotte." I watch him turn off the stove and start scraping the contents of the pan into a container. He probably doesn't even know it, but he's got a small smile on his face as he does, and I smile every time he looks toward me as if he'd forgotten I was here in the silence and is pleasantly surprised each time he looks up.

"Let me just put on a shirt and I'll head over," He says, grabbing his phone and bringing me into the bedroom with him.

"If you must," I sigh.

He shakes his head and narrows his eyes. "Bye, perv."