She’s here.
She’s here.
I scurry downstairs like a little kid ready for his birthday surprise, and I pull the door open.
“You’re here,” I say.
“I’m here.”
She smiles and holds up a bag.
“I hope you don’t mind. I stopped and picked up some wine on the way over. I wasn’t sure if you liked red or white.”
“I like any kind of wine,” I tell her.
“There’s mead, too,” she smiles.
“There we go,” I kiss her cheek. “That’s my favorite.”
“Mine too. I look forward to the renaissance festival every year since it means I get to gorge myself on overpriced mead. It’s weirdly hard to find outside of the festival, you know?”
“There’s one liquor store that carries it,” I say, trying to remember the name.
“It closed down,” she shakes her head. “I got this online a few weeks ago and I’ve been saving it. The red wine is what I bought tonight.”
“Well, I appreciate you stopping for wine, and I appreciate you bringing your mead to share,” I tell her honestly.
“Thanks, Aaron,” she looks up at me, and then, seemingly on a whim, she kisses me softly.
“Let’s go talk,” I say. “Go wait for me in the living room.”
I take the wine and before she can say anything else, I turn and head into the kitchen. I’ll chill the wine before dinner. Jiji meows as he follows me. I pour a little bit of kitten food into his bowl. It’s not quite time for him to eat, but Jiji is a growing cat, so I don’t mind feeding him too frequently right now. Once he’s a little bigger, I’ll need to worry more about making sure he’s eating healthy amounts of cat food and getting enough exercise. Right now, I want him to be happy and comfortable.
When I get to the living room, Mallory is waiting for me on the sofa.
“You look beautiful tonight,” I say. She’s wearing a dress again. This time, it’s a soft, pale blue that brings out her eyes. It ends mid-thigh and it has a plunging neckline.
“Thank you. I thought you might like it.”
“I appreciate that you were thinking of me.”
“I’m often thinking of you,” she says.
“Is that so?”
“It’s so.”
“Mallory,” I say softly, and I reach for her cheek, touching her softly. She leans forward and kisses me. She doesn’t hold back, and I love that about her. I love how wild and passionate she’s being right now, but we have work to do tonight.
Tonight we have to talk.
I pull back, and she lets out a little mew of protest.
“What are you doing?” She whispers.
“It’s time to talk about your feelings,” I tell her.
“Um...what?” She asks, confused.