by Jodie Larson
“Where are they?” I mutter to myself, tossing the clothes to the side for the third time. Great, I’ve forgotten to take my underwear with me. How do I go about getting them? Quickly dress sans underwear and retrieve them like it’s no big deal? But then I remember his reaction to the time I answered the door in nothing but my towel and that drives me to repeat the action, hoping he’ll respond in the same way.
I stick my head out of the door, looking around the room for him. He’s standing by the windows, talking to someone in a hushed voice on the phone. I spy my missing pair of panties lying on the bed, exactly where my pile of clothes had ended up before I was distracted by him. My feet move quietly across the carpet, hoping for a sneak attack.
But just like me, his body must be in tune with mine because Andrew turns to face me as I approach the bed. He mutters something into the phone and then promptly ends the call. Clinging to the front of my towel, I bend over to pick up the panties and watch as the slow smile crawls across his face. He makes a move to come closer to me but I back away slowly.
“Time schedule, remember? I’ll be right back,” I say, quickly walking back into the bathroom but not before I notice the slight bulge in his pants that he’s adjusting.
I break my own personal record for getting ready, having my hair dried and curled in no time flat. For once I feel perfectly made up with nothing out of place. I feel beautiful and confident, all because of Andrew. He makes me feel that way, even if I don’t believe it half the time. I walk back into the room and instantly his arms wrap around me, pulling me close to him. His lips press into my temple and I nuzzle into his chest.
“Beautiful as always, my sweet Tessa. Shall we?”
He extends his elbow to me and I eagerly link mine with his. He escorts us out of the room, down the elevator and into the bright morning sun.
“You’re really not telling me where we’re going?” I ask, pulling my sunglasses out of my purse.
He shakes his head. “It’s a surprise. A good one, I promise.” He looks down at my feet and smiles. “I’m glad you decided to wear comfortable shoes today. We’ll be doing a lot of walking.”
I look around for his car as we walk past the valet and head down the street.
“You didn’t drive here last night?” I ask.
He shakes his head again. “My plan involves many stops throughout the day and I didn’t want to waste time by chasing down parking spots.”
He’s sporting his mirrored aviator sunglasses and a huge smile. He’s very playful this morning. I love playful Andrew. He grabs my hand and whisks me easily into his stride. I’m surprised I’m able to keep up with him seeing as his legs are longer than mine.
We turn a few corners and arrive at a little café. There are a few wrought iron tables set up in a fenced-off area in front. The delicious smell of pastries drifts through the air, making my mouth water.
“Our first stop of the day. Let me feed you before we actually begin our journey.”
He pulls me inside and I place my sunglasses on top of my head. It’s small but quaint with only a handful of tables inside, each covered in a red linen tablecloth and black wooden chairs. The scent of freshly ground coffee smells almost as good as Andrew. Almost.
I walk over to the display case to review my choices. Everything looks so tempting and horrifically high in calories. I chew on my bottom lip, warring with myself on whether or not I should eat the sugary confections in front of me or just stick with a cup of black coffee. My body has been used to running solely on caffeine that this whole week has been throwing it off balance. I wonder if I could get away with just the coffee? Andrew would never let me do that though. He’d probably force feed me something if I didn’t do it willingly.
Andrew’s hand stays firmly on my back as I hunch over, carefully assessing each item in front of me. Do I pick the muffin or the croissant or the donut? Chocolate or jelly filled? Buttery or topped with cream cheese? Either way it’s going to be a big hello to my jiggly thighs.
“Good morning. What can I get for you two?” the guy behind the counter asks, pulling my nose away from the glass display case. He’s a little too chipper for this early in the morning for my taste. But then again I haven’t had my first cup of coffee yet.
“I’ll have an orange cranberry muffin and an espresso. Love, what about you?” he asks. His arm wraps around my hip, pulling me into his side as I make my final decision.
“Could I get a croissant and a vanilla latte, low-fat milk if you have it please?”
The young man behind the counter flashes me a bright smile and nods his head.
“Excellent choice.”
I watch as he slides the glass case open, pulling out a ridiculously huge muffin and the mammoth croissant. It’s flaking apart as he places it on the plate and I can’t help the rumble of my stomach as he puts the two coffees on the tray with our pastries.
“Are you always this hungry?” Andrew whispers into my ear. I turn my head and shake it slightly.
“No, I swear my stomach never growls like this. It only does this when I’m around you.”
He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “I think it knows that I’m here to take care of all your needs.”
My mouth opens to say something only nothing comes out. I’m blown away by his words once again. How can his words cause warmth to run rampant through my bloodstream, heating each extremity and pump precious air into my lungs that he knocks back out each time I’m with him?
The guy behind the counter clears his throat as he presents our tray with our breakfast on it. Andrew thanks him before grabbing it and leading me outside to one of the available tables. He places the tray on top and moves to hold out my chair.
“You don’t have to pull out my chair for me every time. I am capable of doing it myself you know.”
His lips find the top of my head while his hands lightly squeeze my shoulders.
“I know, but that’s what a gentleman should be doing for a lady. And you are definitely my lady.”
His lady? He thinks of me as his? I refrain from bouncing in my chair as my eyes follow him when he pulls out the chair to sit next to me. He still doesn’t like to sit across from me, which I absolutely adore. My body craves him more than I realize and I don’t want the distance between us any more than he does.
My stomach rumbles again and he shoves the plate with my croissant in front of me.
“Eat.”
My eyes roll to the sky at his gentle command. I break off my first piece and slide it into my mouth. It’s buttery and flaky and absolutely amazing. It practically melts in my mouth as I savor it. Hands down the best croissant I’ve ever had. The sun shines down, seemingly agreeing that the pastry could very well be heaven sent.
My eyes wander to Andrew, watching as he peels the wrapper off his muffin and takes the top off of it, setting it aside. That little act brings a smile to my face.
“Saving the best for last?”
I laugh before taking a sip of my latte. His close proximity, as he leans into me, causes my heart rate to spike.
“Always,” he says before planting a small kiss upon my cheek.
He pulls away and pops a piece of muffin into his mouth, giving me a wink in the process. We sit and eat in a comfortable silence, each enjoying our little slice of heaven next to each other. I break off another piece and hold it out in front of him.
“Want some?”
He smiles and opens his mouth, taking the piece from my fingers, licking them clean. His eyes dilate as his tongue gently glides over my fingertips, causing a new rush of heat to run through me. I pull back my hand and run my tongue over my dry lips. My eyes fall to his hands as he breaks apart the top portion of his muffin.
“My turn,” he says, offering it to me.
I open my mouth, taking the offered piece and once again hum my pleasure at the sweet and tart taste. He smiles and runs his finger over his lips, the same one that was just in my mouth. I swallow and nervously bite my
lip, finding myself in a new territory. There’s a sweetness to our gestures, feeding each other pieces of our breakfast, our eyes never leaving the other as we make idle conversation. He’s the most considerate man I’ve ever met. No one has ever treated me with this much respect and kindness. I’m almost afraid to embrace it. I watch his throat work as he drinks his coffee, somehow finding it highly seductive. Then there’s a twinkle in his eye as he regales me with another story of his past. Apparently he wasn’t the polished, pretty boy he poses to be now. I have a hard time seeing him with a messy mop of hair and braces, sporting dirty clothes while using large sticks as fencing swords. Just another little piece of him that he gives me and I cherish it with the others.
“I just realized. We’ve been together for the past four days now and I don’t even know your favorite color,” I say with a laugh.
Andrew laughs with me while twirling his coffee cup. “You’re right. How silly of us to continue on without this epic knowledge.” I laugh as he smiles at me. “My favorite color is blue, any shade of it. There’s just something about the color that has a calming reaction every time I see it.”
I nod my head and smile. “I can see that. My color is green. Sage green, to be more specific.”
“Ah, so you’re one of those then. A color snob.”
The face he makes has me giggling like a teenager. “Yes, I am a color snob. Although I wouldn’t dismiss any shade of green if presented to me. I would just be more drawn to that particular one.”
He taps his lips, pursing them against his finger. “Sudden death challenge?”
I raise an eyebrow to him. “I’m afraid to know what that is.”
Andrew leans over and smiles. “I fire a question at you and you have to answer as quickly as possible. Then you ask me something and I do the same. We keep going until one of us can’t think of anything else, or we fall over laughing. Are you interested?”
I nod. “By all means. Let’s play.”
“Favorite food?” he starts.
“Sesame chicken. Favorite band?”
“Rolling Stones.”
“Really?” I reply.
He laughs. “I was raised on the classics and it never quite left me. No commentary, by the way. Just questions. Okay, bucket list vacation destination?”
“Florence. Yours?”
“Bali. Favorite pastime?”
“Reading. Favorite sport?”
“Rugby. Lace or satin?”
I’m taken aback by that question. “Um, lace?”
He leans closer to me. “Breathless or excitement?”
I lean closer to him. “Breathless.”
Andrew leans even closer, just a breath between our lips. “Simple or fancy?”
“Simple,” I reply.
His fingers brush along my jaw and he places a sweet, simple kiss against my lips. “I knew that answer already.”
“How did you know?”
“Because there’s no flash to you, nothing screaming that you need the best of everything to be happy. You’re the person who is perfectly content with enjoying life as it comes. You don’t need the fancy cars or the glitz of excitement. You are the type of person who will try to make the best of any given situation.”
I blink several times while staring into his eyes. “How do you know that?”
“I know that because I’ve watched you these past four days and listened to you talk, listened to your stories and watched your body language as you approach different situations. All of them tell me the person that you are. And they all say that you are someone that I need to be around for as long as you’ll let me.”
And with those words, I know for sure that this is it for me, that I am ruined for all other men, even if we cannot seem to make things work out.
And that small bit of uncertainty has me seeking out his feelings for me. “Andrew, what are we? Are we dating or just messing around as a vacation fling?”
I run my finger around the rim of my coffee cup, staring intently at the brown liquid inside. Andrew reaches out, grabbing my hand, halting my nervous tic, bringing my fingers to his lips, gently kissing each and every one. He shifts his body toward me, leaning over to rest his arm across the back of my chair. The blues of his eyes draw me deeper into him as he lets go of my hand to gently trace my cheek.
“I think we’re past dating, love. And we are most definitely more than a vacation fling. You can put whatever label you want on us but just so I’m clear, I am yours and you are mine. We belong to each other.”
Then, at that moment, images flash before my eyes. Andrew and I getting married, the two of us sitting on the front porch swing, watching our kids play in the front yard. I can see us dancing in our living room for no reason other than to hold each other. I see sunsets and sunrises, both spent in his arms. I see parties and laughter, tears and comfort. I see a life that I’ve always imagined and in each scene he takes center stage. He’s who I want to spend the rest of my life with.
I am his and he is mine.
And with that, the overwhelming need to place a name to the emotion becomes too much for me. It’s love. It has to be. I’ve never really felt it before and I have no other explanation for it. This need, this compulsion to be next to him always overrides everything else. His happiness is what I want to live for, to strive for. But I can’t say it out loud. Not yet.
I place my hand on his cheek and gently pull him into a kiss. The faintest hint of coffee still lingers on them, but the undeniable taste of Andrew still overrides it all. He smiles and strokes my hair.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his lips.
“For what?”
“Well, for one, missing your connecting flight to New York. Two, for accepting me for who I am, even though I still don’t think we know each other well.”
“We know more about each other than I think you realize. And it should be me thanking you for allowing me into your life. I know it’s been fast and you’ve been nervous about how things will work out between us. But I know you feel the same things that I feel. There’s a light in your eyes that mirror my own. Some things are just meant to be.”
Tears burn behind my eyes, threatening to fall. I hold them back because I don’t want to turn into an emotional mess. Not yet. I just nod my head, acknowledging his heartfelt statement, agreeing with everything that he’s said.
“This is a little too deep for this early in the morning,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
He laughs and my heart flutters at the sound. “I agree. Today is about fun. Are you ready to start our adventure together?”
Such a loaded question and could very easily have a double meaning behind it. But I take it at face value and wrap my hand around his outstretched one. The bus boy quickly picks up our tray and plates as we step onto the sidewalk, falling into our perfect stride, ready to start our adventure together.
ANDREW SURPRISES ME AGAIN BY taking me on the Tube, a simple thing that excites me and it’s sweet that he remembers. I think it’s just an excuse for him to sit as close to me as possible in the crowded train. As more and more people enter the train, he pulls me onto his lap to free a seat for someone. The small child that now occupies my vacated seat smiles up at me as he wiggles into it.
I feel Andrew smile against my neck as he presses his face in the space between my ear and my shoulder. I love the way that he always has to touch me, always needing to have skin on skin contact. Truth be told, I need it as well. I lean my body into his, relaxing into his touch as we ride to a destination unknown to me. He’s promised me an adventure and I wonder what that could entail.
Soon he leads me back to the surface, exiting the Westminster Station and back into the bright midmorning sun. We walk through the crowded streets, his arm draped possessively around my waist, holding me close to his side. The murmuring of people on their phones or talking to one another become the background noise as I see one of the most famous landmarks come into view.
“Big Ben!” I cry, crani
ng my neck up to look at the massive structure. “Holy crap it’s huge!”
He laughs at my childlike excitement and presses his lips against my temple. “Yes, it’s not just a clever name. Come, let’s take the tour.”
I tilt my head to the side, twisting my lips as I do. “We don’t have to. I mean, you live here and have probably seen it a million times. I don’t want to make you do all the touristy things. I’m content just looking at everything.”
He flexes his arm around me and smiles. “I don’t mind being a tourist in my own city. All I want to do is see that beautiful smile of yours all day long while I share the city that I love with you.”
“Sometimes I swear you’re too good to be true.”
He kisses the end of my nose. “I can say the same about you, love.”
We walk over to the line for the tour and follow along with the group, playing the role of tourist and taking pictures with my phone of anything and everything I see. I snap several photos of Andrew without him knowing it while he takes several of me with his phone, including a few selfies of the two of us together.
We complete the tour with a newfound knowledge of the structure and the history behind it. Well, it’s new to me. Andrew was telling me the history behind it before the tour guide even said anything, making me laugh at inappropriate times and garnering several glares from other patrons.
He leads me down the way, stopping every once in a while to take my picture, even when I’m holding my hand up to cover my face. Just random pictures really, nothing of importance that I’m standing in front of. I think he’s making up excuses, telling me that the light is hitting me just right and he needs to capture it. Or there’s a beautiful flower that I need to look at and asks that I tell him what it smells like. I’m on to his game, but I play along anyway because it’s making him smile and I will do anything for that smile.
As we walk hand in hand down the busy streets, I can’t help but admire the history surrounding the area. There are buildings that look to be centuries old and I wonder what tales those walls could tell. What they’ve seen and what stories could be written. I’m just in love with this city, even though this is truly my first time experiencing it.