“Dylan beat you to the bathroom.”
“Nooo.” I sighed.
It was going to be a steamy, wet bathroom. Dylan didn’t seem to get that he was supposed to shower in the confines of the tub with the shower curtain closed and not on the floor of the bathroom.
“Want toast or cereal?” he asked as he turned around.
He wore the apron I’d bought for him for Christmas. It had a picture of a naked bodybuilder’s physique with a glittering Christmas ball covering the dingdong.
We paused, looked at each other for a beat, and started laughing.
“You look so cute,” I chuckled. I sat on the island, sipped more coffee. “Can I have cereal, please?”
“I didn’t hear you come in last night,” he said as he shook cornflakes into a bowl, poured almond milk, and placed it in front of me.
I ate a spoonful before responding. “I got home late. You were asleep.”
“What were you up to?”
I took another bite, chewed slowly. “I had to talk to a…friend,” I said carefully.
“Tala?”
“Nope.”
“You mean you have friends other than Tala?” He chuckled teasingly.
I rolled my eyes at him and turned back to my cereal. I knew he was looking at me, waiting for me to elaborate. But I couldn’t. Not yet. Maybe not ever.
“Tell me when you’re ready, Kara Koala.”
I nodded, finished my breakfast as he turned to the dishes.
I have other friends, I thought as I stepped into the shower. But I was the type of person who chose the people I spent time with very, very carefully. Because once I let them in, I got attached quickly.
I had a strong preference for deep, long-lasting relationships. Relationships that meant more than let’s hang out. I only had so much time in a day, and I was very careful where I invested it. Once I committed to a relationship, I made sure to carve out time to nurture it. And so, I only had very few people in my life.
That was one of the many reasons why I couldn’t let him in my life, I decided as I reached for my towel, dried off, and moisturized. I walked to my bedroom, reached for the hair dryer. He was going to be out of my life as soon as his motorcycle was done. So I really should stop thinking about him.
Can’t stop thinking about you…
He’d said that to me last night. Did he mean it?
My f
ace was flushed, I realized as I looked in the mirror, getting ready to put on my makeup.
Did he actually like me? Or was he the type of guy to blurt out anything to get laid?
I felt that familiar uneasy flutter in my belly at the thought. He didn’t seem to be the type, but…how would I know what was real and what wasn’t?
I just met him.
Didn’t stop you from kissing him though, did it?
No, I admitted, it didn’t. I touched my bottom lip, rubbing it. The memory of his tongue tasting my lips was so strong I felt it.
Suddenly, my knees felt weak and I had to sit down on the floor.