his irritation, Emma leaned up to drop a soft kiss on his cheek before she followed Casey down the hallway. She stopped at Casey's bedroom, loitering in the open doorway, unsure exactly what to do next. She figured that offering to hold her best friend up while she took a shower probably stepped outside the realms of a best friend relationship, but short of actually offering to do just that, she wasn't sure what to do next.
"Stop hovering, Em. I'm fine, really. Just tired." Casey sat heavily on the mattress.
"I'm sorry. Jason and I are just really worried about you."
"The fact that you’re here and Jason is peeling vegetables says a lot." She smiled then, a tired smile, but a genuine smile nonetheless.
"Do you need some help? I could run a bath for you?" That sounded more within the best friend's duties area, didn't it? Casey looked up and smiled slightly.
"That would be lovely." As usual, Emma melted at the sight of that smile. Casey, even as exhausted as she was right now, had the most attractive features and a way of making any recipient of that smile feel like they were the only person in the world. Emma had spent the last fifteen years watching boys, and now men, trip over their own feet just to be the one Casey smiled at.
"All right, back in a minute." Emma closed her eyes briefly, trying to find the steady, easygoing friend personality that she wore whenever she and Casey spent time together. Loving your best friend while living as roommates and trying to hide the attraction was proving more and more difficult every day. Emma couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment the attraction started, but she sure as hell knew it was growing.
She hustled into the bathroom, quickly twisted the taps, and began filling the bath with water and the room with a great deal of steam. Emma grabbed the bath salts, dropped about a handful of the fragrant crystals into the water, and then decided to drop in some more. The soothing scents of lavender and vanilla filled the steamy room.
She glanced up to see Casey standing at the door, holding herself steady against the frame.
"Do you need a hand to get undressed?" Frik! Best friend mode. Best friend mode . The mantra played over and over in her head, but she couldn't help wishing that Casey would accept her offer. A strangled groan threatened to escape her throat, and she swallowed the noise before Casey could hear the distress in her tone. Casey needed her best friend right now, not some crazed stalker wanting to see her naked. Shit .
"Nah. I'm okay, really."
Emma stayed sitting on the side of the tub as Casey moved into the room and sat on the closed toilet seat a few feet away.
"Did you ever expect that you would do one thing in a crisis and then actually do another?" The words were soft, tired and spoken in an almost monotone voice.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
Casey shook her head and studied the floor tiles. "It doesn't matter. I'm tired, and I don't think I'm making a whole heap of sense." A soft laugh filled the room as she raised her head and looked directly into Emma's eyes. "I'm sorry, hun. A good night's sleep and I'll be fine."
"Uhm, well, I'll uhm…go get dinner ready while you have a good soak. I'll call you when it's ready." Emma escaped the bathroom, only to collide with Jason as she headed toward the kitchen. He grabbed her to stop her from falling, hauling her against his chest as she lost her feet. For a just a moment, he held her close, rubbing a warm hand up and down her back, and then he stepped away.
"Is she okay?"
Emma nodded and tried to push past him to get to the kitchen, but he stopped her with a hand on her upper arm.
"Are you okay?"
She tried to stop the tremble in her arm muscle that she felt sure he could feel, she tried to hide the anguish she knew showed on her face, but he felt it and saw it anyway. Obviously confused, he pulled her against him, pressing her face against the warmth of his muscular chest.
"She'll be fine. She's got us, and
"Stop hovering, Em. I'm fine, really. Just tired." Casey sat heavily on the mattress.
"I'm sorry. Jason and I are just really worried about you."
"The fact that you’re here and Jason is peeling vegetables says a lot." She smiled then, a tired smile, but a genuine smile nonetheless.
"Do you need some help? I could run a bath for you?" That sounded more within the best friend's duties area, didn't it? Casey looked up and smiled slightly.
"That would be lovely." As usual, Emma melted at the sight of that smile. Casey, even as exhausted as she was right now, had the most attractive features and a way of making any recipient of that smile feel like they were the only person in the world. Emma had spent the last fifteen years watching boys, and now men, trip over their own feet just to be the one Casey smiled at.
"All right, back in a minute." Emma closed her eyes briefly, trying to find the steady, easygoing friend personality that she wore whenever she and Casey spent time together. Loving your best friend while living as roommates and trying to hide the attraction was proving more and more difficult every day. Emma couldn't exactly pinpoint the moment the attraction started, but she sure as hell knew it was growing.
She hustled into the bathroom, quickly twisted the taps, and began filling the bath with water and the room with a great deal of steam. Emma grabbed the bath salts, dropped about a handful of the fragrant crystals into the water, and then decided to drop in some more. The soothing scents of lavender and vanilla filled the steamy room.
She glanced up to see Casey standing at the door, holding herself steady against the frame.
"Do you need a hand to get undressed?" Frik! Best friend mode. Best friend mode . The mantra played over and over in her head, but she couldn't help wishing that Casey would accept her offer. A strangled groan threatened to escape her throat, and she swallowed the noise before Casey could hear the distress in her tone. Casey needed her best friend right now, not some crazed stalker wanting to see her naked. Shit .
"Nah. I'm okay, really."
Emma stayed sitting on the side of the tub as Casey moved into the room and sat on the closed toilet seat a few feet away.
"Did you ever expect that you would do one thing in a crisis and then actually do another?" The words were soft, tired and spoken in an almost monotone voice.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
Casey shook her head and studied the floor tiles. "It doesn't matter. I'm tired, and I don't think I'm making a whole heap of sense." A soft laugh filled the room as she raised her head and looked directly into Emma's eyes. "I'm sorry, hun. A good night's sleep and I'll be fine."
"Uhm, well, I'll uhm…go get dinner ready while you have a good soak. I'll call you when it's ready." Emma escaped the bathroom, only to collide with Jason as she headed toward the kitchen. He grabbed her to stop her from falling, hauling her against his chest as she lost her feet. For a just a moment, he held her close, rubbing a warm hand up and down her back, and then he stepped away.
"Is she okay?"
Emma nodded and tried to push past him to get to the kitchen, but he stopped her with a hand on her upper arm.
"Are you okay?"
She tried to stop the tremble in her arm muscle that she felt sure he could feel, she tried to hide the anguish she knew showed on her face, but he felt it and saw it anyway. Obviously confused, he pulled her against him, pressing her face against the warmth of his muscular chest.
"She'll be fine. She's got us, and
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