by Jenni Linn
"Aren't you hungry?" he questions.
"Yes, but I don't think I have words to express how much this means." I kiss his neck and as I notice his breath hitch slightly, I do it again--and again. I’m kissing my way up to his jawline when he moves his head to capture my lips with his. It starts sweet until he deepens the kiss with his tongue, and I happily allow its entrance. His hand moves to the back of my head, cradling it. I love this. I love the way he makes me feel by just kissing me. I whimper when he slows the kiss, removing his tongue from my mouth, and ends it with small pecks on my lips.
Small puffs of his breath flutter on my lips as he rests his forehead against mine. It’s a couple minutes until he speaks, "As much as I love this form of gratitude, we have to stop."
I pout. But, I know he's right. He pats my thigh, and I remove myself from his lap. He tugs me back for one more kiss. "Okay. Go sit."
I take my seat across from him again. I pierce a couple noodles with my fork, and make sure to get a fair amount of cheese in with them. Chase is watching as I place the food in my mouth. The burst of flavors on my tongue is surprising; it's sweet and spicy all at once. I chew, making sure not to look like a pig when I'm finished. I wipe my mouth before I speak.
"Chase, I know you said it's nothing special, but that's the best sauce I've ever tasted!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, that's no jarred sauce."
"No, it's not. It's my grandma's recipe. So are the meatballs."
"So you made them all from scratch?"
"She always says," he clears his throat and when he continues it’s in a much higher pitch, "‘Don't be lazy. You show someone you care by taking the time to cook for them, and none of that boxed crap.’"
"Smart woman," I muse.
"She is."
I am so impressed, and completely awed by him. Again.
"So, can I look forward to more tantalizing recipes created by grandma, cooked by you?"
"I think I have a better idea."
"Better?" I question, and then a thought occurs to me. "Oh! Do I get to watch while you do it?"
"Watching me would be better?"
“Definitely” I nod excitedly, "Even better if you’re shirtless."
"I'll keep that in mind." He seems to be blushing. It’s adorable. "But that's not what I was thinking."
I draw out a dramatic sigh. "Darn."
He smiles, showing me his white teeth. "I'll take you to have her cook for you herself. She'd love to meet you."
Okay, I was not expecting that. "You want me to meet your grandmother?"
"Yeah, she'll love you. She lives a couple of hours away. We can make a weekend of it."
"Okay," I say slightly dazed.
"We don't have to. It's purely selfish, really. Spend time with you and Gram's cooking…win-win."
"No. That actually sounds really nice."
We talk about his grandmother for a while, in between our bites of food, and it's really sweet how much he adores her. I learn that he spent the summers with her when he was little, and that he never got to meet his grandfather because he passed away before he was born. She never remarried. I’m curious about so much more, but don’t pry. If he wants to offer up more, he will. Plus, I hope we have more times like this to learn even more about each other.
Our conversation moves to other topics, and I find that I enjoy learning about him immensely. I am an average school student, but anything to do with Chase, I soak in like a sponge. My plate is empty, as is his, and yet we still sit and talk. There is absolutely no pressure to do anything else, and I’m more than content.
His eyes move to my empty plate, and it seems to spark something. "Do you want dessert?"
"You made dessert too?"
He laughs. "As much as I'd love to take credit for it, no."
I stretch and rub my belly. "I'm still full."
He gets up from his chair, grabbing his plate, and moves to grab mine. "Well then, let's go relax and watch a movie," he suggests and turns to walk out of the room. I get up from my chair, and follow behind him, watching as he places the plates in the sink. He turns to me. "I'll clean up later." He moves towards me, easily slipping his hand in mine and pulling me towards the massive living room. He sits down on the gray couch and tugs me down next to him, grabbing the remote off the coffee table in front of him.
"What are you in the mood for? Comedy? Thriller? Horror? Romance?" he asks while scrolling through the guide.
"Whatever," I say, pulling my feet up underneath me.
"Hmm," he hums. He drapes his arm around my shoulder and lets me lean in against his chest. I have no choice but to snuggle into him--not that I'm complaining. He's so warm. Without even realizing it my arm lays across his stomach, and my head rests right above his pec. Everything about this has come naturally.
"Oh, I've wanted to see this! Is this okay?" he asks me, and I can feel his head move as if he's looking down for my approval. Moving my head back, so I can look up, our eyes connect. My forest to his ocean.
"It's perfect," I tell him. He smiles; it’s heavenly. He leans down to give my lips a sweet kiss. I sigh happily.
He turns his focus back to the TV, putting on the movie that he’s settled on watching. I could care less what we watch--just being here with him is good enough for me. Occasionally, I feel him play with my hair, or rub my shoulder; always touching me in some fashion. It’s as if he can’t get enough. We remain like this throughout the movie; comfortable and at ease. When the credits start rolling, I slowly move away, but he holds me to him.
"Where are you going?" he asks, his voice low. I don't know, actually, it just felt like the right thing to do. "Well, I can't stay here forever," I say, playfully.
"Oh but you could." I look at him in surprise. He has a wicked smirk on his face.
"You’re right. The brother brigade would come banging on my door, and we don't want that, so let's go eat some pie," he suggests.
"Pie?" I perk up.
"Pie," he confirms and moves to stand up, pulling me with him.
"What kind of pie?" I ask.
"You'll just have to come to find out." He moves out of the room and into the kitchen. I follow close on his heels. Pie! He quickly tries to conceal it when I come up behind him to peek.
"Back up, woman." he jokes, keeping the pie tucked to him. He then smoothly starts moving to the island that’s located in the middle of the kitchen.
"You can't tease a girl with pie!" I huff.
"Ta-daaaah!" He reveals the crumb covered shoofly pie, and my mouth waters.
"Oh, Daniels, you sure know the way to a girl’s heart."
"Only yours." he says with a wink.
He grabs a fork and digs right into the middle, a nice sized bite on the tip, then moves to me. This surprises me, but I open my mouth and allow him to slip the fork inside. Closing my mouth, he pulls the fork out, and I subconsciously move my hands to cover my lips. I hum my approval, and he suddenly looks like a starving man.
He clears his throat. "It's from Chrissy's."
After swallowing my bite, I can speak, "That’s why it's so good."
I watch him as he goes for another fork full but placing the food into his mouth this time. He hums. "So good," he says, not caring about covering his mouth. It makes me laugh. He still looks hot. We continue this back and forth until I can't possibly eat any more.
His phone goes off, but he doesn't bother to look at it. Instead, he pulls me to him wrapping me up into a cocoon of his strong arms, and rests his head atop mine. I allow my arms to wrap around his waist. My head is against his chest, and his voice rumbles as he speaks, "I don't want you to leave, but I know it's probably best if you did."
I just nod, remaining silent, and completely enjoying this moment. I sigh. "I know. Thank you for tonight. I don't think this will top any date you may have planned in the future."
He laughs lightly, "Cheap date…this will definitely work."
I pull back. "I don't need anything bu
t you."
He likes that response because his lips are on mine in an instant, and it's unlike any kiss we've experienced so far. It's needy and it’s rough. His tongue doesn't waste any time asking for entrance, and I happily oblige. He presses me to him, and I'm positive he can feel my heart hammering in my chest.
The kiss deepens quickly and his hands move to my backside until he's lifting me up. My legs wind around his waist. I can feel his excitement, the slight friction entices an unexpected moan from me. My hands move up his back and claw at his shirt. My fingers evoke a low groan from his throat.
His movements become hasty, and his hands are traveling to my sides, exposing my skin. His touch feels so good, I’m barely aware that we are still in the middle of his kitchen. I want to feel his touch everywhere. He places me on the kitchen island when the unexpected ringing of his phone causes us to rip apart as if we've been caught. Our breathing is ragged and uneven. He starts to laugh as he’s placing his forehead to my chest. He reaches into his back pocket and moves his head away from my chest to look at the screen.
My curiosity gets the best of me, I am instantly doused with imaginary cold water--my heart is hammering for another reason now. He sighs, and answers the phone, "What, Shannon?" His eyes lock onto mine. I can hear her voice, but I can’t make out the words she's saying.
"No, I'm on a date."
Pause.
"I answered because I thought I made it clear before."
Pause.
"Shannon, are you drunk?"
"Whoa. Whoa. No. Look…" His eyes never leave mine, "Yes, I very much like this girl."
His eyes widen.
"Shannon, stop. Don’t cry. Is there someone with you?"
Pause.
"Yeah, put her on."
Pause.
"Damn," he whispers. "Mandy, make sure she gets home okay...and erase my number from her phone, please."
Pause.
"Thank you."
He ends the call and slips it back into his pocket. Well, that was weird, but hearing his words were kind of nice at the same time.
"I am so sorry, V."
"It's okay." I shrug and look away.
He gathers my face in his hands. "No, it's not. I only answered because I don't want you to think that I’m keeping secrets."
"Okay," I say. "So you very much like me, huh?" I chirp.
"I do."
"Good, because I happen to very much like you, too."
"You better."
He leans forward and kisses my nose. "Let's get you home."
I pout.
"Don't do that. I'm trying to behave here."
I nod, "Fine." He’s right.
We walks me out to the car, and before opening the door I spin around, "Thank you so much for tonight."
He flashes his teeth, "You're so welcome."
He helps me into the car and doesn't go back inside until I'm down his driveway. I am bubbling with euphoria.
Best. Day. Ever.
It’ll Be Okay
My eyes continue to wander to the large clock hanging on my office wall, and I'm having a hard time focusing on the work that needs to be done before leaving for the day. I'm filled with anxiety at the night ahead of me--of us. In just a couple hours, Veronica and I will be heading to Victor's, where we will confide in him about our relationship. I can only hope he'll be accepting and understanding. I'm freakin' praying he is.
Veronica seems to be taking it well. She’s always reassuring me that it'll be fine but, to be fair, she's also not the one who would get their ass beat. I had to make up a lie for tonight--Vance wanted to hang-- so I told him that I was going to visit Nic at school. Vance slapped me on the back and told me to get some pussy. Typical.
Every morning, I pick V up and take her to school since her parts still haven't arrived. I don’t mind, even in the slightest, especially since our mornings now include an intense make-out session in the front seat of my truck. Plus, the coffee she continues to give me is a bonus.
Veronica has also fabricated a clever story about tutoring someone after work. It isn’t much but it allows us to have a little time together. The rest of our time apart is spent on the phone, whether it’s vocal or through texts. We avoid certain conversations that, unfortunately, still really need discussing. We both knew this when we began, but we didn't want to face the reality that our time together could come crashing down if her brothers found out about us before we could let them in. I don’t want to fight with her about it, but I still feel extremely uneasy with us sneaking around. Victor is our first step and I truly hope the rest will follow.
I habitually glance at the clock again. I still have an hour to go. The plan is to pick Veronica up from school and head down to her brother’s right after. Our bags are already packed and sitting in the back of my truck. Her parents are well aware that she is going to be away for the weekend. Victor knows Veronica is bringing a friend, he just doesn’t know that friend is me. She told me she would handle her brothers if a problem arises.
I let my eyelids drop and pinch the bridge of my nose--I need to focus and get this paperwork finished.
I pull up a couple of minutes late in front of the school, but instantly notice the familiar brunette looking at her cell. She’s sitting on a nearby bench. Veronica's head snaps up when she hears my truck, and she smiles wide even though I'm late. She walks quickly. She’s radiating with excitement.
As soon as she has the door open, she throws herself into the cab, and her arms snake around my neck. I breathe in her familiar cocoa butter smell. Before her, I had no idea what cocoa butter was and now it's my favorite scent.
"Hey, babe." I laugh at her enthusiasm. She pulls back and plants a quick one on my lips.
"Hi," She smiles, "I'm so excited."
"I can tell." I laugh.
"Aren't you?"
"Somewhat.”
"It'll be fine, I promise." Her hand moves to the back of my neck, lightly scratching at my hairline. I love when she does that..
"I guess we'll find out."
Veronica gives me Victor's address, and I plug it into the GPS on my phone. "In five-hundred feet, turn right on Chestnut Lane," the robotic female voice speaks from my phone.
"Ready?" I ask, looking towards Veronica, who is curled up on my seat.
She smiles at me. "Yep."
Twenty minutes into the drive and Veronica has passed out, her head resting on the arm between us. So it's just me, the road, and my nerves. The closer we get to the city, the heavier the traffic becomes, and soon we're moving like snails. Constant stop and go. I could never live in the city, even though the tall shiny buildings do look cool. Veronica stretches her arms and sits up, drowsily taking in the surroundings. "We there?" she asks, rubbing her lash line.
"Almost. Looks like it's about two blocks away, but it says it'll be another sixteen minutes."
"Wow, this is so cool. You can walk to everything! Oh, look, a Starbucks!" she says excitedly as she presses her face to the window.
After what seems like eons, we finally make it to a massive building. We pull into an underground parking lot, and I have V scanning for the closest space to the elevators. With both our bags in one hand, I round the back of the truck to meet V and she grabs my hand as we walk towards the lift.
"Okay, I let him know we're here."
The doors open almost instantly after she pushes the button, and I'm hesitant to get in. Veronica walks forward but stops short when I don't move with her. She looks back at me and takes the two steps to stand in front of me, grabbing my face with her free hand. It forces me to look at her. My eyes connect with her viridescent ones. "It'll be okay," she reassures. With a light squeeze of her hand, she steps backward and tugs me with her. I move, slowly, into the elevator. How is she so confident? This could end badly.
I'm so lost in my head I don't even realize we're standing in front of a gray door, labeled with silver numbers. It's almost like everything is in slow motion as Veronica lifts he
r hand and knocks on the door. Less than a minute later, the door opens to reveal Victor who looks at Veronica, then to me. His expression goes from happy to shock in less than a second.
Actions Speak Volume
The shock on Victor's face makes me falter for a second, but I move forward to hug him, releasing Chase's hand in the process. I move back and slip my hand back into Chase's. Victor's eyes move down to our connected hands, a look of confusion as he looks at the both of us curiously.
"This is a surprise. I thought you were bringing a friend?"
"Yes," I say slowly, " I wanted to introduce you to my boyfriend."
"Boyfriend?" Victor chokes out. "What?" His eyes move between the two of us. "Chase is your boyfriend? When the fuck did this happen?" His voice is loud, but not necessarily angry.
"It's very new," I tell him.
"Uh, I'd say. I don’t recall anything being said last weekend when we were all together," he points out. "I can't imagine Vance is taking this well."
"We haven't told Vance."
"What?!" he barks.
"Maybe we can take this inside?" Chase speaks up.
Victor seems to notice that we're still standing out in the hall and moves aside to let us in. I stroll through the door and move through the condo without waiting for my brother, taking in its modern and sleek appearance. The kitchen is immediately on the right, full of silver appliances, and past the kitchen is a dining room with a small table that fits four. Beyond that is the wide-open living room. My eyes take in the floor-to-ceiling windowed wall.
"Victor, this place is amazing," I tell him before moving towards the windows, looking down at the bustling city lights below.
"Yeah, it’s great but back to you and Chase," Victor's voice is stern, causing me to whip around. His posture says anything but relaxed as he’s standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Beyond Victor, Chase stands awkwardly, still holding our bags.