He nods his head.
I swallow while he squeezes my hand. “We would date and go out and always come back to my place because, well, he ‘lived’ with roommates. I guess that should have been the first red flag. I would wake up every single day hoping he’d be there, but would always find the sheets cold. I tried to not get my hopes up, tried to not make a case out of it. I mean, he was there when we went to bed, he had clothes in my closet, yet he would never stay.” I sip my coffee, gearing up the confidence. “Then one day I went home and all his things were gone, with a note that said ‘later’.” I take a deep breath. “It’s almost as bad as Carrie getting dumped by a Post-it. Anyway, his phone was shut off or cancelled, who knows, and then one night I slept over at Stephanie’s apartment. We fell asleep after watching The Goonies.” I shake my head. “So the next day we got up and decided to hit up this new coffee place that had just opened and there in the middle of the store looking like he just woke up was Alex with his arms around the neck of a woman who was clearly wearing his wedding ring, something else he didn’t wear around me. He saw me, his eyes opened with shock, and instead of going up to him and telling him what an asshole he was I turned and walked away. My heart was broken for what might have been, but it was broken more because I trusted him and in the end, he played me for a fool. So, I’ve made it my motto to never ever get involved from then on. I was more like an in and out kind of person. But I would never lie. I would never promise things.” I watch his eyes go soft. “Happy now you know my deepest and darkest secret?” I smile, trying to get the topic back to fun. “Well, at least one of them.”
He takes the cup from my hand, putting them both on the floor, then grabs me, pulling me onto his lap. My legs straddle his waist. His hands push the hair away from my face while he grabs my cheeks. “I don’t know where this thing is going. Hell, I’m not even sure I know what the fuck the right thing to do is, but”—he smiles at me and his blue eyes light up—“what I can do is promise to never lead you on or lie to you. I will probably fuck up, but the good news is that I can learn.” He brings my face to his. “So what do you say, want to do this not leave me in the middle of the night thing?” He kisses me gently. “Either that or I’m buying you a shock collar and it’ll just zap you when you try to leave. I mean, that’s my last straw.” He smiles and I kiss him with a smile of my own.
We spend the rest of the afternoon really going into downward dog position. And that night when I go to bed it’s with him with no plans of sneaking out.
Chapter Nineteen
Noah
I swear there is a swing in my step, or it’s the fact that my balls are always empty now. I mean, this whole having a girlfriend is the best thing I think I’ve done. She hasn’t even tried to sneak out and it’s been a whole three days. Score one for me.
“Noah,” Hannah says from the door way. She walks in, swaying her hips. The normal Noah would try to see if she has panty lines in the white skirt she is wearing. This Noah is hoping she hurries up.
“Hannah.” I lean back. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Just giving you a heads-up. Leonard will be arriving on Monday, so Norma is going to have to go back and work with him. He is meeting with the new lawyer. So as of Monday, you are either on your own or I have to send you a temp.”
I throw my head back, moaning. “Fine. I will see what I can do from my end.”
“That’s it?” Hannah asks, eyeing me. “No make sure she looks good bending over? No make sure to get her Facebook picture? No she must be under twenty-five?”
I laugh and throw my hands up, and then place them on my chest. “I would never.”
“Yeah, right,” she says, walking out, and I still forget to check and see if she is wearing a thong or not.
I pick up my phone, calling Kaleigh, who responds right away, her voice scratchy.
“Hello.”
“Jesus, what is wrong?” I ask her, sitting up straight, worried.
“I have no idea. I have a fever and my body hurts.” She sniffles. “And I’m freezing. I’m going to see the doctor in thirty minutes. I can’t even swallow.”