by Stella
Lexi opened the door, looking as if she’d just woken up. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted in surprise. “W-what are you doing here?”
“I thought it would be easier if we worked on this program together. That way, if I have questions, you’ll be there to answer me. And you can see it as I piece it together and help tweak whatever you don’t like.” I held up the box. “I wasn’t sure if you had eaten dinner yet, so I brought your favorite.”
She opened the door wider and moved to the side to let me through. “Bobby’s…” She drew out the word and without saying it, her wistful tone hinted at sadness.
I understood how she felt. She more than likely hadn’t been since we broke up. I hadn’t gone back until now, either.
I had been so stunned by the sight of her when she opened the door that I hadn’t noticed the shirt she wore. It was familiar, but only because it had once been mine—as were the boxers covering the tops of her tanned thighs. Her outfit hadn’t been planned, but mine had. Since my return to Atlanta, she hadn’t seen me in anything other than work clothes—tonight I’d intentionally gone back to the style she’d once loved.
Her eyes flicked up to an old ball cap she’d given me in college, and they widened almost imperceptibly. I watched with rapt attention as her gaze drifted down to my faded Army T-shirt stretched around my arms and slightly pulled across my chest—it had fit when we were in college. I’d been in shape during undergrad, but nothing compared to what I was now. Without having Lexi to occupy my time, I spent hours working my frustration out in a gym. I stifled my amusement to allow her time to continue her assessment. I didn’t want to draw attention to her ogling—and she was definitely ogling. Her lips parted just slightly when she took in my loose-fit jeans, and a lazy grin took over at the sight of my flip-flops. I lived in the things in college, and Lexi had always made fun of me because I had hair on my big toes. I never believed she really hated them, and the way she regarded me now confirmed that assumption.
Although I wanted to give her all the time in the world to drink me in, drown in me, I hadn’t thought this whole pizza thing through. “Can I set this down? It’s burning the crap out of my palm.”
Her focus snapped back up to the box. “Oh God, yes.” She took the sides and moved to the coffee table to set it down, still slightly dazed.
Without an invitation, I made myself at home on her couch and unloaded my laptop while she busied herself in the kitchen. With her head in the refrigerator, I took the opportunity to appreciate how delicious she looked bent over. Unlike mine, nothing about her figure had changed—she was still just as stunning as she’d always been whether it was in a dress and heels or jeans and a tank top; although I had to admit, my boxers and T-shirt were at the top of my list.
“All we have to drink is wine.” The clank of jars shuffling on the shelf indicated she was still looking for options. “Wine.” Lexi closed the door and turned around. “And water.”
“You pick.” I grinned when she took two wine glasses out of the cabinet. She’d always been a lightweight, and a hint of a buzz loosened her up.
She’d also never been any good at uncorking a bottle, which apparently hadn’t changed with time. I debated letting her struggle to do it on her own. The way her nose scrunched and she bit her lip drew me to her. When I stepped up behind Lexi, she dropped her hands to the counter yet she didn’t hand me the bottle or the corkscrew. It was a risky move, but she hadn’t pushed me away on the rooftop, so I took the chance pressing my chest to her back and reaching around her, closing her in on both sides. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I might have missed the hairs rising on her arms and the goose bumps that peppered her beautiful skin.
The muffled squeak of the cork coming free caused her to tense. Or maybe it was my breath against her neck just before I pressed my lips below her ear. I didn’t linger or take it any further—anticipation was the greatest aphrodisiac. And with Lexi, it was just as disarming as taking her clothes off. I stepped back, and she peered over her shoulder at me before pouring two glasses of wine.
I’d forgotten how much I’d enjoyed pursuing her in college—showing up near her classes, finding her in the cafeteria, frequenting her favorite study spots. I’d anticipated connecting with her for months before it actually happened. To this day, I’d never received a sweeter reward. The gleam in her eyes just now gave me the same satisfaction it had years ago.
She’d never been one for idle chitchat, and I’d always loved that we could sit in silence for hours without any awkwardness between us—tonight was no different. Neither of us said a word while we ate, and I wondered if her mind raced through memories the way mine did in her presence. As much as I wanted to sit around and break down her few remaining defenses, making this program happen for her would hold far more weight in getting her back than anything I said.
“Why don’t you tell me more about what you need this program to do while I pick this up.” She’d eaten two slices of pizza along with two glasses of wine. I’d eaten the rest and finished off the bottle. It wasn’t a lot to deal with, and it would get her talking. The more she talked, the more she’d relax.
I listened intently while throwing away the trash and putting the wine glasses in the sink. The animation in her voice—the lilts and inflection—gave away her excitement about what we were working on. I hadn’t heard that, much less seen it, in years. Come hell or high water, I’d give this to her just to see her smile. She got up to get me the concepts she’d drawn out along with her notes, and I scribbled on the pages to make sure I included as many of the details as I could. Yet even after I had what I needed, I couldn’t bring myself to stop her from talking.
I glanced over and found her curled up on the other end of the couch with her knees to her chest. Her eyes were a little glassy from the wine, and a lazy smiled played on her mouth. She caught me staring and bit her bottom lip. This wasn’t what I’d come here for, yet her pull was too strong to resist. I just wanted to be closer. I told myself I would work better if she were close enough to touch and moved to the center cushion of the couch with my laptop resting on my thighs.
She didn’t flinch or change positions indicating any discomfort with my proximity, nor did she pull away when my hand landed on her foot. I’d only intended to give it a gentle squeeze. That was until the cool metal touched my palm, and I lifted my hand to see what it was I felt. It hadn’t been much at the time, and all I could afford—the dainty pinky ring I’d given her for her twenty-first birthday now adorned her second toe.
“Reminds me of old times,” she explained without me asking.
“Yeah? Do you think about that a lot?” I held my breath and waited for her to answer.
Lexi loved that ring when I gave it to her. She’d had some fetish for rose gold at the time, and neither of us could afford pyrite much less precious metal.
She hummed softly, as if contemplating my question. “I think about a lot of things, Chris.”
I loved how she’d gone back to using that name. Hearing her call me Patrick or Mr. Moore just sounded weird and forced, like she was talking to someone she didn’t know. But she did know me. No one knew me better.
“Some good,” she continued, “some not so good.”
“What do you think about most?” I allowed my hand to find her foot again while keeping my eyes trained on her. My thumb softly stroked the side before dipping under the arch. Lexi had always loved having her feet rubbed.
“The unimportant things.” She stretched her legs a little to allow me better access, so I set my computer aside to give her what she asked for without saying a word. “Those insignificant things that slip by, that don’t hold any value. For some reason, those are the moments that come to me the most—especially since you moved back.”
“Like what? Tell me one.”
Her breath hitched, and her eyes closed when the pads of my thumbs kneaded the sole of her foot. She didn’t answer right way in favor of savoring my touch. Lexi could deny how
she felt all day long, but her body gave her away.
“They’re just these quick flashes of things that aren’t really tied to anything. Like cleaning off the counters after dinner. Doing the dishes. Using your bathroom and looking at your toothbrush while I sat on the toilet. I don’t know. They’re like snapshots of time that cross my mind. Nothing that actually means anything.” Her eyes opened and found mine.
I knew what she was talking about, because the same thing happened to me. Except the images that danced through my mind were tied to something. Remembering her asleep next to me reminded me of what her skin felt like against mine. The way her eyes lit up in the sun made me think about her smile, which reminded me of her laugh. Every memory of her was a game of connect the dots. In her absence, the dots had become a scribbled mess that no longer created a beautiful picture.
She pulled her feet from my lap. As much as I hated her retreat, I loved seeing her recognize she’d never be able to keep me away.
“You should probably get to work. I’m going to go shower so I don’t distract you.” She stood to leave the room, likely needing space to realign the defenses around her heart, but I refused to let her widen the gap I worked so hard to close.
Lexi bent over to pick up the pillow she’d thrown onto the floor when she sat down. I brushed my fingers up the back of her knee and then around to the inside of her thigh. Flattening my hand against her skin, I moved up to the crease just under her ass. I had no plans to go any further, it simply gave me the means to pull her to me. She came to my lap with no resistance, and instinctually, her arms went around my neck.
“My mind is filled with snapshots of you, too.” I softly kissed her cheek. Lexi expected me to take it to another level; instead, I used my hands on her hips to help her back to her feet and swatted her backside playfully. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”
Confusion marred her delicate features—anticipation, sweet Lexi…anticipation.
Lexi took her time in the shower—I knew she would. I used the opportunity to engross myself in the task at hand versus seducing Polly. The glimpse I got of Warsaw that first day in my office was enough to last a lifetime, and if I didn’t make this happen, Polly could never be resurrected.
I hadn’t done any coding in years, and it surprised me how quickly it came back to me. While I wanted this to be grandiose and elaborate so Lexi could knock the socks off her team members, I’d be doing good to pull off something elementary in the time allotted. She rejoined me in another pair of my old boxers, and I hid my elated grin from her view.
After five minutes of listening to nothing but the tapping of my keys, I glanced up. Lexi had fallen asleep. Her chest slowly rose and fell with each breath, and I allowed myself a glimpse at the memories of the way those breaths felt against my bare chest at night. It was torture to look away from her, but I knew if I didn’t, I wouldn’t get any work done.
I worked through the night with Lexi at my side fueling my adrenaline. I’d gotten up to use the bathroom a couple times, and then returned to my spot on the couch. She’d never know I’d peeked into her bedroom only to find a picture of us on her dresser, or that I had kissed her forehead while she slept. Around ten the next morning, I was fading. Without waking sleeping beauty, I grabbed a towel and took a cold shower, hoping it would wake me up enough to get through a few more hours. I was close to having a very rudimentary program for her to look at and didn’t want to waste valuable time going home to take a nap and come back. I ignored the fact that it gave me an excuse to spend time with her, even if she wasn’t conscious.
When I opened the bathroom door, the most heavenly smell wafted through the living room, and I found Lexi in the kitchen with her back to me. It had to be a dream. Or, at the very least, I had been transported back in time to the best and worst morning of my life.
“I don’t want breakfast,” I mumbled into her neck while she stood in front of the stove. My stomach growled, giving away my hunger, but I ignored it and prayed she didn’t hear. “Let’s just stay in bed all day. Who knows when the next time we’ll be able to wake up in each other’s arms will be.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do, too. But in order to have the kind of energy we’ll both need, our bodies require food. Plus, it’s scrambled eggs…it’ll take less than five minutes to cook and eat, then we can go back under the covers.”
I pressed the front of my body flush with the back of hers, and at the sound of her moan, I knew she felt my erection against her lower spine. “Put the spatula down, and step away from the frying pan.”
“If I do that, the house will burn down.”
“Ask me if I care,” I groaned into her hair.
The second I had my hand inside the front of her panties, she bucked her ass against me, begging for what only I could give her. “Just let me finish, Chris.” She meant the eggs, but I had something else in mind.
“Oh, don’t worry, babe. I’ll make sure you finish.”
My dick got hard at the memory, but as soon as I remembered that, five hours later, I was on my way to Washington, away from Lexi and the future we’d planned together, my heart sank. If only I had stayed in bed with her and not left, everything would’ve been so different.
“What are you making?” I snuck into the kitchen behind her and settled my hands on her hips. She sank into my embrace, and I inhaled the familiar lavender that wafted from her skin.
“I wasn’t sure how long you’d be in the shower.” She laid the back of her head on my shoulder, elongating and exposing her thin neck. It was an invitation I wholeheartedly accepted by RSVPing with my lips. But when she moaned, I had to step back.
There was plenty of time for that later, regardless of how my dick protested. The virtual closet had to take precedence…for the time being.
“Go back to the couch, and I’ll bring out your food when it’s done.” She turned slightly and pressed a kiss on my shoulder before offering me a demure smile.
A few minutes later, she served me a plate of her famous scrambled eggs and a glass of water—just like she used to do. With her own plate, she took a seat on the other sofa where she was last night.
“Do you know where Jasmine is?” she asked after swallowing her first bite. “I sent her a text last night after you got here, and she said she went to grab some wine. But it doesn’t look like she ever came back.”
I couldn’t very well tell her that Jasmine knew I’d be here, not after the fight they’d had at girl’s night. Having Jasmine and CeeCee handing me information I would have otherwise not been privy to had some perks and some drawbacks. I wasn’t sure which this was, so I simply shrugged and continued to shove food into my mouth.
“I bet she’s with Carl.” Her top lip curled up in disgust. “Eww.”
“Carl? But they hate each other.”
“That’s what I said!” Her animated excitement nearly stole my breath away. I’d heard her say that exact sentiment more times than I could count, and hearing it now was like music to my ears. “I’m trying to be supportive, but I’m not sure how much more I can handle. I mean, they say it’s just sex.”
Her friends had chosen a side to root for—and they’d chosen mine. I knew for a fact Jasmine and Carl were not sleeping with each other. Well…not a fact. But if they were, it would have to be the worst sex in the world. If I had to imagine their interaction, it would be something like this:
Jazz: “Um, that’s not where that goes.”
Carl: “Says who?”
Jazz: “Says physics.”
Carl: “I was never taught that in school.”
Jazz: “That would imply you paid attention.”
Carl: “If my teacher talked about this going in there, you bet I would’ve.”
Jazz: “Regardless, it won’t fit.”
Carl: “Only one way to find out.”
“What are you laughing at over there?” Lexi interrupted my thoughts.
“Nothing. Just pictured those two trying to plug in a floor
lamp.” I shook my head.
After we finished eating and she took the dishes away, I got back to work on the program. Several companies had software similar, each developer offering something different. So I had to make sure what I added in mine was unique enough to keep with originality while also appealing to this client.
“I’m going to need pictures of the pants so I can add them to the virtual store. Do you mind?”
Lexi nodded and grabbed her phone. When I took the bag of clothes and started to head toward the door she’d gone in and out of all day, she asked, “What are you doing?”
“I have to put them on.”
“Oh, we can’t just take a picture of them on the floor?”
“I mean, we can, but when you add that to an uploaded photo of the shopper, they’ll look flat.” I waited for her to nod again and then entered her room to change.
In the dark last night, I only peeked in, not wanting to get caught, and saw the pictures on the dresser. I hadn’t turned on the lights or snooped through her things. So when the light of day illuminated the space, I hadn’t expected to look at her bed and find the same comforter I’d slept under more nights than I could count. But I couldn’t linger in nostalgia. If I didn’t get back out to the living room quickly, she would come in search of me.
I stood in front of her in the pants from the designer, sans shirt, and she gawked openly at me. Her jaw hung slack, and her eyes glistened with desire. Her chest heaved with the exertion of her breathing, and when she went to snap a picture with her phone, it took her a few tries before she realized her finger was covering the lens.
That was the only thing that got me through the next two and a half hours of silence. I had no idea how I’d managed to pull off a program that actually worked the way she’d envisioned in less than twenty-four hours. She still had to look at it, and I’d have to tweak it some, but she had a platform to present on Monday that would work as a mock for the ad team’s concept.