Page 141 of Knot Their Starlet

“Of course,” he says, stepping outside the bathroom door. He leaves it open a crack so the two of us can still talk.

“I don’t think we’re at the stage in our relationship where I feel comfortable with you watching me take off my sticky bra. I feel like that’s post-six-month-anniversary material.”

“Is it really that weird?” he calls from outside the bathroom.

I peel off the bra, holding it outside the door and waving it around. It flops about.

“Whoa! Wow, okay, I’ll admit, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those things.”

“It looks like a chicken cutlet, doesn’t it?” I giggle, setting it down on the counter and sliding my dress off.

“I wasn’t going to say it, but now that you have, it really does.”

I slip on Eli’s massive t-shirt. The fabric nearly swallows me whole, falling a little off the shoulder and hitting me right above my knees.

“Ready!” I say, throwing the door open.

Leo looks me up and down, his eyes lighting up with a spark that sends a wave of nerves fluttering through me.

“Eli’s gonna love it. Let’s go get some breakfast. I think the two of them are trying to cook.”

I’m assaulted by the overwhelming smell of bacon the moment the two of us step out of the hallway into the main open space of the apartment. More specifically, burning bacon.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Beck curses.

“Don’t throw that shit down the sink,” Eli growls.

“But it’s smoking like it’s going to go up in flames! Where the hell am I supposed to put it!”

I let out a soft giggle, making the two of them whip around.

“Ughh, how embarrassing!” Beck groans, dramatically slumping over the countertop with his head in his hands. “Shit, now my hair is going to smell like bacon!”

“I think all of you is going to smell like bacon for a little bit,” I tease.

“We don’t cook very often.” Beck winces.

“I can see that.” There’s a ridiculously massive pile of bacon, some of it still soft-looking and some of it stiff and dark, a couple of shades away from being burnt to a crisp. It’s also the only thing they seem to have made so far. “What do you guys normally do?”

“There’s a cafe downstairs that makes really good breakfast sandwiches,” Leo suggests.

“Let’s do breakfast sandwiches,” Beck sighs. “I don’t think the kitchen will survive us trying to make the rest of breakfast.”

As the two of them make plans to go down to grab us food together, Eli stands stock-still, his gaze never leaving me.

“Want to come with us, Eli?” Beck asks. He freezes the moment he sees the intensity in Eli’s gaze. “Oops, nevermind.”

“I’m fine,” Eli says, his voice pitched so low it seems to vibrate through my chest.

“I’m cool too,” I add, my voice taking on a breathy quality.

I meet Leo’s gaze as he and Beck make their way to the elevator. He flashes me a knowing wink.

There’s a beat of heavy silence, then the elevator doors shut behind the two of them.

“That’s my shirt,” Eli grunts.

“It is,” I say, awkwardly leaning against the kitchen island.