by Anna Lewis
It wasn't until right when Scarlett got into bed and was plugging in her phone and winding down to go to sleep that she heard the ping of a text message. She assumed it was a friend, because Titus knew when she went to bed, and Hunter had gone all day without even sending her a sorry I'm okay. She was surprised when it was Hunter's name that showed on the screen.
\Probably not the person you want to hear from but yeah I'm okay and I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you
\Let me make it up to you?
\Dinner tomorrow night? Say 6?
//I've got plans. Glad you're okay though. Was gonna cut you off if you didn't text before I went to sleep, and I just got in bed
\How about just a drink then? I'll be at the pub as usual
//Maybe, if I can. I gotta sleep
\Goodnight. I hope there's no hard feelings?
//No, no hard feelings. Night
Scarlett sighed and put her phone down then threw her arm over her eyes. She'd told herself if Hunter contacted her before she went to sleep she would give him a second chance. Just because she had a dinner date with Titus tomorrow night didn't mean she couldn't go out for a drink with Hunter after. She wasn't exclusive with anyone after all. Thinking about it made her head hurt. She would deal with it tomorrow when the time came. She curled up in her blankets and thought about the dream she'd had the previous night upstairs on Titus' sofa. The details were fuzzy now that so much time had passed, but she did remember that it had been some vague kind of sex dream involving both Titus and Hunter. Scarlett pushed her face into her pillow. She hated making decisions. The last thing she wanted to do was have to pick between her neighbor and the stranger from the bar. Unless one of them proved to be a jackass then someone would end up getting hurt, not that either of them would admit it. Scarlett wouldn't. She fell asleep trying to figure out how she would ever choose between tall, brilliant Titus and dark, funny Hunter, with their sharp smiles and devilish good looks.
***
Scarlett spend her entire work day thinking about what she had gotten herself into that evening. She pulled one of her co-workers aside at lunch, a woman around her age called Jenna she got along with pretty well, to ask for her advice.
“Why just settle for one?” was the entirely unhelpful response.
“That's literally not what I asked,” Scarlett replied with a hint of frustration in her voice. She poked at her packed sandwich. “I asked 'how do you choose between two equally attractive guys who are both interested in you'.”
“Again I say, why just settle for one? It's the 21st Century, Scarlett, if you can have both then take both. I don't know a single guy who would turn that down.”
“A threesome with a girl and another guy? Most guys' fantasies involve them and two girls.”
“Have you watched porn lately? No don't answer that you're clearly not that kind of person,” Jenna said quickly with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Just trust me when I say that they'll probably be into it so if you really can't choose between both of them, then, well. No reason you can't have your cake and eat it, too.”
Scarlett sighed and rolled her eyes so hard she was surprised they didn't fall right out of their sockets and stared up at the ceiling like it held all the answers. “I mean I guess it's advice,” she said. “I did ask you for advice.”
“And advice I gave,” Jenna said cheerfully. “Course, if it doesn't work out that way, would you mind sending the loser over my way? I'll get my hands on any bit of man I can.”
“You're gross,” Scarlett said without meaning it. Jenna just smiled and winked. It would be dishonest to say that her idea didn't have some appeal behind it. She doubted either of the guys would go for it though. Her impressions of them hinted at a trace of possessiveness, certainly not the personality of anyone who would be happy to share his woman with another man. Was there really any harm in asking though, if it came to that? It sounded like the best of both worlds; not technically a one night stand but not having to actually choose between two men she was very fond of. She shook her head and started to eat. It wasn't something to worry about unless the opportunity actually presented itself. There were more pressing matters for her to think about; namely her date with Titus and her promise to try and have drinks with Hunter. There wasn't anything wrong with dating two men at the same time, she reminded herself. Of course that usually only applied when both men knew about the situation. It was probably a good idea to let Titus know and hope that he didn't react too badly to it.
Scarlett dressed casually for her dinner with Titus, the same as she had for Hunter. She didn't want to put one man above the other. In her eyes they both needed to be equal until the time came for her to make a decision. She didn't want there to be any biases, just an honest assessment of how she felt for each of her suitors. She could almost laugh at herself. That night at the bar when she first met Hunter she had lamented over the fact that no guy seemed to notice her and now she had two of them and lacked the knowledge and the ability to decide between who she wanted more.
At 6:45 there was a knock on her door and on the other side awaited Titus in a casual suit, holding a single rose. “Hey,” he said in greeting. He held out the flower. “This is for you. A scarlet rose for a Scarlett.”
Scarlett snorted at his pun but accepted the flower with a smile. The stem had been meticulously trimmed of thorns. “Let me just find something to put this in. I think I have a vase around here somewhere.”
“I'll wait,” Titus said. It took Scarlett a couple minutes to find something suitable to put the flower in which turned out to be a tall pint glass. She filled it up with water and put it on the coffee table then checked she had all of her things, especially her keys.
“So, where are you taking me? I feel a bit under-dressed.”
“You look beautiful,” Titus said, making her blush. “Nowhere fancy. Just a place I thought you'd like.”
He kept his hand on her knee during the drive, only moving it when he needed to shift gears, which thanks to light traffic wasn't all that often. His touch was warm and welcome, like Hunter's was, but something about him was different. Scarlett couldn't put her finger on what, though. Personality wise she couldn't see much difference between the two of them. They were both confident and cocky, although to her knowledge Hunter didn't have a different girl over to his place every night. Since that night with Titus though she hadn't heard him having sex, which made her wonder if he had stopped all together because of her. It was flattering if he had. Or maybe he had just taken a break until he decided whether or not she was worth it.
The car wound through town, going almost to the outskirts before they reached their destination. It was an Italian place called La Casa. Scarlett had heard of it, of course, but had never been there. She seldom ate Italian, and it was usually a cheap pasta when she did. But she'd heard about La Casa. It was rather high scale.
“I am definitely not dressed for this,” Scarlett said, looking at Titus' suit, as casual as it was, and her own jeans and a t-shirt. “I thought we'd be going to like...”
“A pub?” Titus asked.
Scarlett blushed. “Well, no, not a pub but, somewhere not quite as fancy.”
“It's not fancy. You look fine, I promise. Come on.” He offered her his arm when they were both out of the car. Scarlett opted to take his hand instead. His skin was warm and soft. The restaurant had “romantic” low lighting that glinted off of his hair and eyes, turning them to gold and copper. Scarlett's throat tightened. She remembered how Hunter looked in the bar, dark and dangerous, like a wolf on the prowl, and wasn't sure if she wanted to let go of Titus' hand or hold onto it tighter. There was something dangerous about him as well, lurking under his good looks and pleasant personality. Scarlett hoped she never discovered what it was. When he sat, after pulling out her chair for her, he removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, exposing a small tattoo of a dragon on the inside of his left forearm. Scarlett leaned forward to get a better look at it and h
e held his arm up obligingly.
“You really do like dragons, huh,” Scarlett said. “That's pretty, though.”
“Like I said, good luck.” He lowered his arm and picked up the menu. “Plus they're strong, and fierce, and very, very rare.”
“Probably a good thing they don't exist then, huh.”
“Well, we can't prove that they never did,” Titus said, smirking. “But yeah, probably a good thing there aren't any wandering around the countryside, eh?” Scarlett tried to figure out what he meant by that before deciding that she was being silly and he hadn't meant anything. He just liked dragons, that was all.
They each had a beer with their dinner instead of wine, which did a lot to make Scarlett feel better about her state of dress. She was surprised that she didn't think of Hunter at all until dinner was drawing to a close and she glanced at her phone to check the time. She would still have time to go and see him if she wanted but he would have to wait a little, although that probably wasn't a bad thing.
“You look worried,” Titus said, calling her attention back to him. “What's wrong?”
Scarlett bit back a sigh and put her phone away. She didn't want to upset Titus, but she didn't want to lie either. “Hunter tested me right before I went to sleep last night,” she said carefully. “Asked if I'd go and get a drink with him.”
“And?” Titus' voice hadn't changed but his eyes had narrowed ever so slightly.
“I said maybe,” Scarlett replied. “Not sure I want to, considering, but I did tell myself that if he texted before I went to sleep last night that I would give him a second chance. Kind of seems unfair to break that promise now.”
“It would.”
“Did I just totally ruin everything?” Scarlett asked quietly, hardly able to look at Titus. She managed to watch him through her lashes.
“No,” Titus said and to Scarlett's surprise he seemed to mean it. “A word once given should not be easily taken back. We better get you back home then so you can get ready.”
“Are you upset?”
Titus gave her a warm smile. “It's fine, Scarlett,” he said. “I'm just happy you didn't hide it from me. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a bit of healthy competition.”
Scarlett felt awkward on the ride back to her flat but Titus seemed fine. His hot hand rested on her knee again, warmth radiating from it up and down her entire leg and into her stomach. She rubbed her arms to rid them of goosebumps and told herself it was just because she was cold. Titus walked her up to the second floor where they stopped outside her door.
“Are you going to go meet him?” he asked casually.
“Yeah,” Scarlett said. “I kind of said I would, so...”
“I understand,” Titus replied, “but... before I go upstairs, can I give you something?”
Scarlett cocked her head in confusion. He had already given her a rose, which she thought was romantic enough and she'd cherish it until it wilted. What else could he have? She almost wanted to look behind him to see if he was hiding something. Instead she just nodded her head. She should have known what was coming, really, but her attention was so scattered now that she was back home and had to go see Hunter that she didn't realize what Titus was about until he was already doing it. His arms came up to either side of her head, hands braced against her door and boxing her in between the hard wood and his hot body. She could have easily slipped away but she found herself unable to move. Her heart made a lump in her throat that she struggled to breathe around and her stomach twisted with anticipatory heat.
Titus' nose brushed gently against her before their lips connected in a firm but brief kiss. Scarlett followed when Titus pulled away and kissed him once more, letting her teeth scrape over his lip. He made a pleased sound in the back of his throat that almost sounded like a growl and took a step closer, fully pressing her against the door. One of his hands moved to cup her cheek and tilt her head back so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue passed over her lower lip and she opened her mouth for him. He tasted faintly of beer, something Scarlett would normally have found unattractive, but on him it somehow only made her want him more. Titus sucked on her lip, hard enough to bruise, then pushed away from her and the door, a smirk on his face.
“Have a good night,” he said. “I'll see you later?”
A dazed “uh huh,” was all Scarlett managed. She watched him walk down the hall and listened to his footsteps on the creaky stairs, the jingle of his keys and the thump of his door closing. She was glad she was still leaning against her own front door because her knees felt incredibly weak and she was sure she would fall right over if she didn't have that support. She waited until she felt like she could stand without collapsing before she went inside. Every now and then, as she took a couple minutes to freshen up and have a glass of water, she heard creaking from upstairs; the sound of Titus moving around his flat. Now it was him who was stuck on her mind as she texted Hunter and told him she was on her way to meet him. Her lips still burned from his kiss. She rubbed the back of her hand across her mouth but to no avail. She had a last glass of water, ice cold, and then decided to walk to the pub, hoping that it would clear her head.
***
It didn't. She just ended up with tired feet and a red face from the chilly air and sharp wind. The pub felt suffocatingly warm compared to the outside air but Scarlett welcomed it. She loosened the grip of her scarf around her neck and squinted into the dim light until her eyes adjusted. She found Hunter sitting at the end of the bar, his back to the door, one hand around a pint of beer and the other on his phone. She carefully and quietly made her way up to him, hoping to spook him, but he turned around just before she could and offered a smile.
“Was afraid you wouldn't come,” he said.
“I almost didn't,” Scarlett replied. “How did you hear me?”
“Good hearing,” Hunter replied casually. “Good sense of smell, too. That cologne isn't yours.”
“I had a date,” Scarlett said. “With my neighbor.”
“Those the plans you told me about?” Hunter asked. There was a dark look on his face. He moved his coat from the stool next to him for Scarlett to sit.
“Yeah, you got a problem with that? You ran off, he asked me out. I had a shit night and he was nice.”
“You go out to dinner with every guy who's nice to you?” Hunter asked snidely. Scarlett was beginning to regret having come.
“You're walking on thin ice,” she warned. “You're lucky I came at all after that stunt you pulled.”
Hunter sighed and shoved a hand through his dark hair. He looked torn, a pained look on his handsome face. “I really like you,” he said. “I'm sorry I acted like a complete twat but if I told you why I left... you wouldn't understand.”
“That's a bit offensive,” Scarlett replied. “Don't just assume I won't understand something when you won't tell me what it is. That's what I don't understand. It wasn't a family emergency then?”
“No, not exactly,” Hunter replied. “It's complicated. I can't tell you anyway.”
“Then why bring it up at all?”
“Because I want you to know that I'm not an arsehole,” Hunter said loudly. He exhaled sharply and lowered his voice. “I have a... condition. It's not easy to talk about. I'm not really supposed to. It's very rare.”
Scarlett's anger melted into sympathy. “You're sick?” she asked.
“No, not sick,” Hunter said firmly with a determined glint in his eyes. “Not sick. Just different.”
“Well, why can't you tell me about it?”
“It's hard to explain,” Hunter said. He rubbed his thumb along the condensation that had gathered on the side of his pint glass. “Can I buy you a beer?”
“I was wondering when you'd offer,” Scarlett said. “It's all on you tonight, I hope you know, but I'm not staying long. Work in the morning.”
“I won't keep you,” Hunter said. “We don't even have to talk. It's enough for me just to be close to you.”
Scarlett
scoffed but her face was hot. “Didn't figure you for a romantic.”
“I'm not,” Hunter said. He ordered her a drink and a second one for himself. A plan formed in Scarlett's mind. She knew how much alcohol Hunter could handle. If she got him just drunk enough maybe he would tell her about his “condition” and the real reason why he had stood her up at dinner. It felt dishonest, but Scarlett wasn't the kind of person who would take being run out on lightly. All she wanted was the truth. If Hunter really liked her as much as he said he did then she deserved that at the very least. She thought about what Jenna had said to her that afternoon. If Hunter had a valid reason for having left... what would she do? Keep dating each man until she figured out which one she liked more? Right now the only reason she was leaning towards Titus was because Hunter had left, but a true emergency, even if it wasn't a family one, was as good a reason as any to cut a dinner short, and at least he had had the courtesy to pay and hadn't stuck her with the bill. If he really intended to run out on purpose then why had he thrown down his own cash?
“Are you jealous?” she asked after her drink arrived. Hunter looked uncomfortable with the question.
“A little, maybe,” he said. The tone of his voice said that he was very much jealous of her and Titus. Good thing Scarlett hadn't mentioned anything about the kiss, and she didn't intend to. She touched her mouth briefly.
“Why?”
“It's difficult to explain.”