Matched

I want to take her home to my place at night and fuck her brains out. I think it would be good for her during this time of stress. God knows how great sex distracts me from any stress I'm feeling.

But India has her own way of dealing with things. I have to give her room and accept her for what she is.

I listen to the mix playlist she gave me after we first met, filled with songs her parents like – an odd assortment of music from the seventies that I would never have heard if I didn’t know her. My father was into country music, and I listened to metal most of my life.

One song plays on the playlist by Cat Stevens, “How Can I Tell You.” It seems like a metaphor for our relationship.

I'm not an overly sentimental type, but that song just gets me in my gut and I can't get it out of my head. For the rest of the day, it plays over in my mind, even – especially – when I'm trying to sleep.

I want India in my bed. I want to fuck her brains out. It's only a matter of time before she comes around and asks me.

Friday comes and so far, India has not given in to her desires and asked me to fuck her brains out.

She does, however, come into my office Friday afternoon.

"I'm going to Marina's party tomorrow."

"That's good," I say, hoping it's a sign that she's feeling better about her mother and things in general. "Maybe you can come by to my place after. I miss you."

She doesn’t say anything. "Marina thinks you're coming as well."

I nod. "Oh, yeah. I did say I'd come. She wanted to match me with someone else, though," I say with a frown. "I'll have to tell her no."

"She wants to match me with someone new as well," India says, her voice soft. "I was thinking we should play along with her. Humor her."

I glance at her, focusing on her eyes. "What? You really want to meet her match for you? You want me to meet her match for me?"

India shrugs. "I don't really want to, but I promised I would before this happened between us. Since we're keeping it quiet—"

"At your insistence, not mine."

"At my insistence, maybe it would be good to just play along. Neither of us have to actually go on a date. We could both go to the party, meet our respective matches, make Marina temporarily happy, and then say goodnight to them. No harm, no foul."

I sigh. "India, I don't want to meet Marina's match for me. And I don't want you to meet yours. I want you."

"I want you," she says softly. "But this is for her app and—"

I interrupt her. "Be honest. You just don't want her to think we're together."

"This is for her app," she repeats, "and both of us promised to help out. I want MATCHED to succeed for Marina's sake."

"This is ridiculous. We should just admit the truth – that we want to be together – and to hell with Marina," I say, looking deep in her eyes. "I want you. I can't stop thinking about you. I don't want to go to Marina's party and meet her match for me. I want us to go together and then I want to take you home and fuck your brains out."

She smiles, her cheeks flushing in that way that I love.

"I want that too, but I have to work on Marina and she's already arranged the date. Don't worry," she says and squeezes my hands. "I'm not interested in her matches for me. They've been total busts. I want you."

I lean down and kiss her, and she doesn't pull away so there's that at least. Her kiss feels like it's passionate. She even leans into it willingly so I think I can believe that she truly does want me and doesn’t want to meet whatever stuffed shirt academic Marina's matched for her.

The door opens and Janice, my admin, sticks her head in the door.

"Oops – sorry, you guys."

She quickly pops back out and I shake my head and press my forehead against India's.

"The cat is really out of the bag now, I guess."

"It really is," she says. "Liza as much as said so. She said she thought it was so sweet that we were finally making it public. I didn't know we had. Grant must have said something and sworn her to secrecy."