14
When I came through the door, I was greeted by the smell of pizza.
“Mmm.” I closed my eyes and followed my nose, right to a pair of pizza boxes sitting on the counter in the kitchen. I couldn’t see Kristo anywhere, but I didn’t care. I was just home from a long day of work, and I needed something to eat and preferably something with alcohol in it to wash it down as well. I grabbed a slice and went for the fridge, pulling it open and examining everything inside. I couldn’t see anything I recognized, but I grabbed a bottle of beer with a label I didn’t know the origin of and popped it open. I didn’t really care. As long as I had something to take the edge off this day, I would be happy.
I shut the fridge and practically jumped out of my skin when I saw Kristo standing there. He was in nothing but a pair of boxers and a threadbare old shirt, fresh from the shower, hair a mess and somehow looking younger than he normally did.
“Hey.” He nodded to me, grinning at the beer in my hand. “Making yourself comfortable, I see?”
“Well, I had a long day,” I replied. “Forgive me if I need something to make it a little easier.”
He took the beer from me and took a long draft, and I just stood there and stared at him. It just wasn’t right that he could look so damn fucking good when he’d just rolled out of the shower, where I knew I would look like a drowned rat if I was to be caught coming out of the bathroom like that. But he looked like … I stuffed another bite of pizza into my mouth, hoping that would stem the almost comical hunger threatening to bubble up and over inside of me. He handed my beer back to me.
“Trust me, I feel you.” He sat down at the counter and grabbed another slice. “So, how are you doing?”
I took a sip of the beer and a bite of the pizza and eyed him for a moment as I chewed. I wasn’t sure what to make of this. I still barely knew this guy, and when he was sweet and thoughtful like this, it caught me off guard. Like I was expecting him to try and get something out of me as a result of this. Fuck, but that spoke a lot to what my relationships with dudes had been like before I met him.
“I’m okay,” I replied slowly. He was watching me as though trying to read something into the way I was eating, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. It had been a weird day, observing people noticing the ring on my finger and clearly just chalking it up to their own lack of attentiveness when they’d first met me. It was my first day out in the world as a married woman, and it was odd to see the ways in which people treated me differently whenever they got the chance.
“How was work?” he asked and then suddenly remembered something. “Oh, shit, sorry, yeah. I got the contracts drawn up today. They’re right here.”
“Fuck,” I muttered, putting down the beer as he picked up a few pieces of paper sitting on the counter next to us. “That’s them, huh? A whole year?”
“A whole year.” He grinned and touched my arm lightly, sending shivers down my spine that I did my best to ignore. This was all starting to feel so real in a way that it hadn’t before. Some wild part of me wanted to get to my feet and run out of there, but I had to stay. For Jolene.
“Let me get a pen, and I can sign them right now.” I got to my feet, but he caught my hand and guided me back down again.
“Can we just forget about them for a few minutes?” He made a face. “I know it sounds weird, but I want to actually … how about twenty questions, huh?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, cocking my head but sitting back down opposite him.
“I’ll grab a beer, and by the time we’re both finished with our drinks, we’ll know each other a little better, right?” he suggested, going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle. “Ask me anything. I don’t care.”
“You want to get to know me?” I raised my eyebrows. “Little late for that, isn’t it? We’re already married.”
“Yeah, but if we’re going to do this for a whole year, we might as well at least pretend we actually like each other,” he pointed out, a grin spreading across his face. He had a sweet smile, one that lit up the air around him, and it made my heart flutter when it was aimed in my direction.
“Fair enough.” I nodded. “What do you want to know?”
“Okay, I’ll start.” He took another swig and furrowed his brow. “How about, uh, what’s your favorite kind of movie?”
“Horror,” I replied at once, without thinking, and he burst out laughing.
“Horror?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Just not what I expected, that’s all.” He shrugged, still grinning. “What about you? Hit me with a question.”
“Same one.” I tilted my beer toward him, and he cocked his head and paused for a moment, lost in thought.
“Cheesy eighties movies,” he replied finally.
“Seriously?”
He nodded. “Yep. Streets of Fire, The Warriors, anything like that. You get the picture.”
“I thought your tastes would be a little more refined,” I teased.