“You have wine?” I know I sound surprised.
“I got you a bottle on the way home.”
“I think I love you,” I say, then cover my face and groan. “I mean that in the friendliest way possible.”
He laughs and walks to the bed, setting down the bag of food on the side table. “So I take it you’d like a glass of wine?”
“Yes, please. I’ll help you.” I start to get up, but he shakes his head.
“I got it.”
“Okay.” When he leaves the room, I lean back, closing my eyes and tapping my head against the wooden headboard behind me. “‘I think I love you.’ Seriously, Anna?” I whisper to myself.
“Babe, do you want a plate?”
My eyes fly open, and I shake my head frantically as embarrassment creeps up my cheeks. “Nope, I’m good eating from the container.”
“Be right back.” He taps the doorjamb with his fist as he walks off, smiling. Even though I want to bang my head again, I don’t, because with my luck, he’ll catch me doing it. Instead, I fold my hands in my lap and mentally tell myself to stop being a dork and to act cool.
A few minutes later, he comes back carrying a beer, a glass of wine, and napkins. I take the glass when he holds it out to me and whisper, “Thank you.” Once he’s settled back on the bed, he opens the bag and hands me an overflowing container, then takes his out and starts up the movie.
We both dig into our food with abandon, and once I’m stuffed, I put the lid back on the container, then set it on the side table and lean back with my glass of wine. I take a sip, surprised when I find it’s my favorite. I smile to myself and fight the urge to laugh at the craziness that is my life. A year ago, I never would have considered a movie date in bed with Chinese food and wine, or a date fishing on the lake, because those wouldn’t have ever been options. Now I know what I was missing by dating men who would rather spend money on an expensive meal or a show that would bore me to death.
“Do you want another glass of wine?” Calvin asks as he presses pause on the movie, and I focus on him.
“I probably shouldn’t. I need to drive home.”
“I think you’ll be sober enough to drive in the morning,” he says, getting out of bed. “And don’t think I’m letting you leave now that I’ve got you where I want you.”
“In your bed?” I raise a brow.
“In my home.” He picks up the bag and shoves the garbage into it, then grabs his container.
“In that case, I’ll have another glass.” I get up before he can tell me to stay put, and then I grab my container and follow him to the kitchen. He pours me another glass as I put our leftovers in the fridge. When we get back to the room, he shuts off the overhead light and closes the door, turning the room almost pitch black. I take a sip as he pulls back the covers, then set the glass on the side table as he lies down. I get in with him and lay my head on his chest as I watch him press play on the remote.
Not even two minutes later, I hear him snore softly, and I smile. I guess he wasn’t lying when he said he was exhausted. When his hand on my hip tightens, I tip my head back and study his sleeping face for a moment, and then I curl myself deeper against his side. Before I know it, my eyes drift closed and I fall asleep, feeling safer and more content than I ever have in my life.
Suggestion 10
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
CALVIN
I wake when the bed shifts and instinctively reach out, grasping Anna’s wrist before she can get away. “Where are you going?”
“The bathroom,” she whispers.
I release her, roll the opposite direction, and sit up on the side of the bed as she goes into the bathroom. After flipping on my bedside lamp, I pick up the remote for the TV, turn it off, and then tap the screen of my cell to check the time. It’s just after two, so I scrub my hands down my face, push up off the bed, and then open the door to the bathroom.
“Oh my God, I’m peeing here!” Anna squeaks from the toilet, and I look at her over my shoulder.
“I’m going to brush my teeth.”
“Can you wait until I’m done in here?”
“I won’t watch.” I then turn around to face the mirror, grab my toothbrush from the holder, and load it with paste.
“Seriously?” she asks loudly.
I grin around the brush in my mouth, then turn on the water. “Better?”