“Nice to see you, too.”
“Please,” he says, coming over and sitting next to me, pulling me to his side. “You know I’m always happy to see you.” I smile, and he taps my nose. “Go take a shower and let me get something done.”
“You’re kidding, right? You want me to shower so you can have a quickie?”
He laughs and stands up, pulling me up with him. “You think so low of me. Why is that?”
“I don’t think low of you. I’ve just lived with you long enough to know how you work,” I say, resting my hand on his chest.
“Maybe you need to pay closer attention,” he whispers, resting his hand on top on mine and squeezing. “I want to do something for you, and I’d rather it be a surprise. So please, go shower.”
Intrigued, I decide a shower is just what I need.
I take a nice long shower, trying to erase a day of sex shopping with those two horn dogs. I still haven’t opened the bag, I tossed it in my closet, and that’s where it will stay. I get out of the shower and dry off, then go into my room to throw on some sweats and pull my hair up. I look in the mirror and laugh. Good thing Tenn loves me because I look like shit. There aren’t too many people lucky enough to see this beautiful side of me.
The first thing I notice when I step out of my bedroom is the smell of garlic and sauce. It’s heavenly. I go into the kitchen to find Tenn pulling food out of the oven. I might take a second to admire his tight ass while I’m at it.
“What did you make? It smells amazing?” I ask, trying to look over his shoulder.
He turns and smiles at me. “Go sit at the dining table,” he instructs.
The dining table, damn we never eat in there. When I walk in I stop short. He has the whole table set, a bottle of wine waits and a vase of lilies, my favorite flowers, sitting in the middle. I turn my head and he is busy in the kitchen. Pulling out a chair, I sit and suddenly feel like maybe I should have put on something nicer. I’m in my damn sweats and my hair is a knotted red mess.
A plate is placed in front of me and I twist my head around looking at him as he places his plate down, too. “Wine?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say, handing him my glass. “Umm, what exactly are you doing?”
He hands me the wine glass and sits down. “Well, this morning you were less than thrilled with me, I wanted to do something nice. I just feel that you think so low of me, and I’m showing you there is more to me than you realize. Anyhow, I knew after a day with our moms you’d need this.”
I search his face and lock my eyes with his. “Tenn, I don’t think low of you. I was in a bad mood, and you were the only person around to catch my wrath. I’m sorry I was such a bitch. You didn’t deserve that.”
“No, I didn’t,” he says grinning. “But I get it. I haven’t exactly been a stellar guy when it comes to you, and that’s fucked up.”
My heart is slamming in my chest and my pulse is racing. What the hell is all this? Where the hell is the Tenn I’ve known all my life? “Stop. Neither of us are perfect, right?”
“Not true. I’m a perfect ten,” he says, laughing.
I join in and toss my napkin at him. “You’re a perfect ass.”
After we stop laughing he motions to the chicken parm in front of me. “I tried to get food from that Italian place you wanted to eat at, but they don’t do takeout. So this is a little place I found close by.”
I don’t know where it comes from, but a fucking tear runs down my face. “That’s so incredibly sweet.”
He reaches over and wipes my tear away. “Don’t cry.”
I laugh and shake my head. “Sorry, I’m just surprised I guess. Is this how you are when you take someone out?”
He runs his hand through his hair then squeezes the base of his neck. “Only you.”
We enjoy the most delicious dinner ever. We talked and laughed and both had a hard time catching our breath when I told him about the sex shop. It’s been such a great night, honestly almost felt like at date, and I had to remind myself a few times that it’s Tenn.
I told him to get a shower while I cleaned up, and that’s where he is now. We are going to watch a movie before we go to bed, so I’m trying to get the dishes done. Nothing worse than waking up to a dirty kitchen on a Monday morning.
As I sit down on the couch, Tenn comes out of his room. He sits next to me and I lay my head on his shoulder like I’ve done so many times over the years. “Thanks for being my best friend,” I say.
He doesn’t say anything, just wraps his arm around me and fires up Netflix.
The last month has been a whirlwind. Henry and I have gotten closer. I know he is ready to take the next step in our relationship. He even felt me up the other night, and I didn’t want to make him stop, but I’m just so nervous. He’s such a great guy and we had some really romantic nights, just nothing passed second base. Yes, I know I sound like a kid, but that’s what I’m calling it.