Chapter 16: Don't Be Surprised If I Fall Asleep On You

Tessa went quiet after that as if lost in thought and Bryce wondered if he said the wrong thing. She was totally back to normal by the time they made it back to her apartment though so he may have imagined it. She told him to go ahead and start watching Erased and showed him how to set up the TV before going to shower.

When she came back she was wearing the hoodie he loaned her, a pair of black leggings, and some striped fuzzy socks. Her hair was still a bit damp and with her makeup off he realized she had freckles all over her face.

His heart thudded in his chest. Casual, fresh-faced Tessa was adorable.

It didn't help that she was wearing his hoodie either and was completely dwarfed by it. He was about to overload from the cuteness but had to remain calm so he wouldn't freak her out.

She walked into the kitchen and heated up the plate he brought for her before joining him sitting cross-legged on the couch. She dug in with gusto, pausing only to say how good it was and to thank him again, which was gratifying.

If she wanted, Bryce could make her dinner any time they hung out after she got off work. It really wouldn't be that much extra work and it would help her so why not? She was already stressed between school, work, and whatever was going on with her aunt so anything he could do to lessen her load was fine by him.

Tessa put the plate back in the kitchen and curled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. He hadn't been expecting that so quickly but he supposed she had already agreed to be his girlfriend. Cuddling was a standard activity when dating exclusively.

He readjusted his arm so it could be behind her and she snuggled closer. His attention was split between the way she felt pressed up against his side and how intense this anime was. He had never watched anything this dark before.

"…this show is darker than I expected. It really draws you in though," Bryce said after a couple of episodes.

"Right? The first time I watched it, I binged the whole thing until late since I only had two episodes left around eleven o'clock and I ended up having a nightmare," Tessa replied a bit sheepishly. "It was totally weird. I never have nightmares about TV or movies. I guess this one got to me."

"Are you going to be okay watching this again then?"

"I should be since I already know what happens. Besides, there are much worse things to have nightmares about than TV shows."

Bryce frowned. What was that supposed to mean? Did she have nightmares often to be making such a statement so casually? He wanted to ask but was afraid to. He already knew she was a private person that didn't like talking about her problems.

As much as he wished she would rely on him, he would have to accept that she might not be the type to rely on anyone. Frustrating as that was. Pushing her wouldn't be wise, especially so early in the relationship. Maybe she would come to trust him in time and would feel like talking then.

They kept watching until 10:30 PM and the show completely sucked him in. He wished he could finish it tonight but they both had to be up early and he still needed to drive home.

"We should probably stop now," Bryce said reluctantly. "Can I come over and finish it tomorrow? I'll make you dinner again."

Tessa smiled at him as she stretched. "Deal. We should be able to finish it tomorrow since it's only twelve episodes. Especially since I doubt we'll get detoured by Del two nights in a row."

"Probably not. Goodnight, Tessa. Sweet dreams."

He took his plate and idled at the door for a moment, debating whether or not he could get away with kissing her cheek or something. She settled it for him by going in for a hug. A long one.

"Goodnight, Bryce. Thanks for the ride home…the food…and for spending time with me. It was really nice," she said in a voice muffled by his shoulder.

Bryce smiled and kissed the top of her head. "No need to thank me for that. I had a great time watching that ridiculously intense show that's going to keep me up half the night wondering what happens next with you."

That made her laugh and she shooed him out the door. "Better get on that so you can get some sleep sooner. See you."

Tessa was right. A quiet couple of hours in with her had been really nice. More than that, he was more content than he had been in years. It felt like she complemented him perfectly when they were curled up together like that. Like she belonged at his side.

The ride home was filled with happy thoughts…and wondering what on earth was going to happen because it truly was an intense show. Tomorrow was going to be a long day until he could both see her again and find out what happened next.

===

When Bryce picked Tessa up from work the next day she looked exhausted. "…are you alright?"

"Work was surprisingly busy today," she explained. "It's like everyone in Santa Barbara decided they wanted a smoothie completely out of the blue at the end of October. Not to mention I have a bunch of tests, papers, and projects due before Thanksgiving break. You'd think that once midterms were over things would slow down a bit!"

He remembered what that was like. Professors could be ruthless.

"Hang in there. Are you going home for Thanksgiving this year?" He knew she was close with her family so it would make sense if she was. And he would spend yet another holiday alone.

Tessa shook her head before looking out the window. "No. I can't get work off for both Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks and I would prefer being home for Christmas."

That was unfortunate for her but… "Would you like to spend it with me then?"

She turned back to face him in surprise. "Seriously? You don't have any other plans?"

"No. I only have Thanksgiving Day off so I was planning on doing what I always do…which is making myself a tiny turkey and buying a frozen pie and rolls. Pretty lame but you're welcome to join me."

"Unacceptable! If you're going to do Thanksgiving with me, it has to be done properly. Candied yams. Green bean casserole. Mashed potatoes and gravy. I get that it's a lot of work for one person but it's only once a year so it must be done. And you need pie variety! If there's too much food, all you have to do is eat Thanksgiving leftovers for a week so nothing goes to waste."

Bryce grinned at how fired up his girlfriend was about all of this. "I take it you're a fan of Thanksgiving?"

"Holidays are a big deal in my family. On Thanksgiving we stuff ourselves and once the food coma has worn off a bit we play an ultimate ping pong tournament with everyone until we can stomach the idea of pie. It's one of the few times a year the ping pong table makes it out of storage because we don't exactly have room for it," Tessa said with a laugh.

"Ping pong, huh? I played a little in college but I'm not that good."

"Maybe I can practice with you some time. My school's rec center has a few tables set up and students are allowed to rent the equipment to go with it. They have pool tables too…and a bowling alley with student discounts though I hardly use it because it's not that fun by yourself and I'm too busy to have friends."

That sounded like something fun they could do together. Bryce added it to his mental list of ideas to keep Tessa entertained.

He also checked to see how much a ping pong table cost on his phone when she was in the shower back at her place and discovered they were selling brand new ones for $130. That was a lot of money to drop on a whim but it wasn't like he had been going out and spending his salary on anything the past few years aside from a few new video games here and there. He could afford it.

He could get a ping pong table and help her fulfill her usual Thanksgiving tradition. That would probably make her happy and he would get to enjoy that glorious smile of hers. He didn't see any reason not to do it.

Bryce was completely focused on the show by the time Tessa came back wearing floral leggings and his hoodie again so she wouldn't suspect a thing. She yawned as she curled up next to him.

"Hey, don't be surprised if I fall asleep on you."

"I won't be surprised or offended. You do have a lot going on right now. Go ahead and use me as a pillow if you want," he offered.

Tessa smiled. "Well, since you said I could…"

She got up and came back with a rather large white blanket printed with a tiger on it and settled her head in his lap before snuggling under it. His heart skipped a beat. When was the last time a girl had slept on him like this? He hadn't dated anyone since a year before his grandma died so it had been quite a while.