I didn’t realize just how unhappy I had been for the last decade…until I was happy again.
She released a quiet sigh before she propped herself up on her elbow and looked outside. The lights reflected in her eyes, and her smeared makeup was somehow better than when it was perfect.
I stared at her, watched her look out my window, and moved my fingers through her messy hair. “You’re beautiful.”
She turned her head back to me, a soft smile moving onto her lips.
Fuck, how did I live without her for so long?
“I don’t want to go…but I should.”
This wasn’t the way I wanted our relationship to be, where she left me every night, where her time with me was always limited. But I understood that her dedication would never be to me fully, that there would always be someone more important. “Alright.”
“And you and this bed are so comfy that if I don’t get up right now, I’ll fall asleep…and never leave.” She moved out of the bed and walked to her clothes on the floor, her gorgeous body a silhouette in the dark, a perky ass, a nice stomach, and sexy tits. Her legs were nice too, longer than a summer day. She slowly got dressed, pulling on every article of clothing one by one.
I stayed in bed and watched.
When she was clothed, she headed toward my bathroom. “Mind if I use your restroom?”
“You can use anything you want, baby.” I watched her go, watched her hips shake as she gave me a smile and disappeared.
I’d never called anyone baby, but with her it, it just fit.
She was my baby.
“Oh my fucking god…” Her voice came from the bathroom. “I look like a train wreck.”
I grinned, remembering the way her eyes watered when she came the first time…and the second.
“Jesus, I don’t know how I’m going to hide this…”
I got out of bed and pulled on a new pair of boxers, since my first ones were a little damp from watching her walk around all day in that dress. I pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants. “Leave a makeup bag here.”
“I guess I’ll have to.”
I entered the kitchen where the bag of to-go food sat on the table, and I opened it to eat at the dining table.
She joined me a few minutes later. “I should go, but I’m starving.” She joined me at the table and pulled her burger out of the bag and helped herself to a handful of fries. She licked the salt off her fingertips then took a bite of the sandwich in her hand.
I watched her as I ate, watched her devour her food like she was starving. I didn’t have anything to say, but it didn’t matter because I never had to force myself to say anything with her. She was the one person in the world with whom I could just be quiet and that was perfectly fine.
After a couple bites, she looked at me. “So…when do you want to start prepping for that interview?”
“I don’t care.”
“Well, it’s on Friday, so we should probably start tomorrow.”
“Alright.” I wasn’t nearly as opposed to the stuff she encouraged me to do now that our relationship was different. Any time with her, regardless of what we did, made me happy. I could kiss her whenever the hell I wanted to. I could tell her she was beautiful. I could lift up her dress and make love to her on the spot. I could look at her tits whenever I felt like it. “I told Jerome and Pierre about us.”
“What?” She was about to eat another fry, but she stopped herself. “Why?”
“That was what we were fighting about.”
“Why were you fighting about it?”
I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I told them.”
“But I thought we agreed that we would be professional—”
“I don’t care.”
She seemed a little stunned by my answer.
Now that I’d slept with her, I felt differently about the whole thing. “You’re the woman in my life, and I’m not going to pretend otherwise. I’m the lead engineer and CEO of that place. People have a problem with that, I really don’t care.”
“I’m just afraid people will treat me differently—”
“Then tell me, and I’ll fire them.”
She paused for another moment before placing the fry into her mouth.
“I have to accept the fact that you have another life that I’m not a part of—which is fine. But this part of your life, the one where you’re with me, I’m not going to pretend. We’re together—period.”
“But you don’t think it will be posted on the internet?”
“I’m sure it will be. But I have nothing to hide.”
“I just… I’m scared my mother or Lizzie will see it.”
I hadn’t anticipated that.
“But you’re right, that’s just so much work. If they ask about it, I’ll just say they’re false rumors.”
“Would it really be that much of a problem if they knew you were dating me?” Her mother must be aware of the dates she sometimes went on.