I plop my head down on the pillow next to her, and she reaches behind her back to find my hand, tugging until she has it wrapped around her stomach. With Tori in this position, dirty thoughts are running through my head. I fight the urge to palm her breast and kiss her neck. Instead, I curl up against her back, taking in the scent of her soap, as I close my hand over hers.
“Sweet dreams, Tori,” I whisper.
No response.
Just like that she’s fast asleep and snoring in my arms. For the first time in years, everything feels right. This is my chance to make things right between us.
A few hours later, Tori staggers into the living room in a T-shirt and panties. Even with bed head and one eye open, she still looks amazing. She stretches her arms above her head, exposing her bare stomach, and yawns. “What’s that smell?”
She follows the scent of the Italian food I had delivered, assuming she would be starving by the time she’d woken up. I slept for twenty minutes if that. How could I sleep with her tight ass digging into my erection? I had to get up and release the tension from my body after she left me with the worst case of blue balls. Again.
“I ordered your favorite, or at least what used to be your favorite.” I pull a chair out from the kitchen table, gesturing for her to sit, which she ignores.
“Chicken cacciatore. Yum!” She hugs me for a second, just long enough for me to run my hand over her back before she peels her body from mine. “Thank you, Bash.”
“I thought we could get a head start on our date. Obviously, I plan to take you somewhere nice, but this will have to do for tonight.”
She giggles with delight. “I guess I was wrong about you after all, huh?”
I nod. “You’ll see. Mark my words.”
She holds her hand over her heart with her lips puckered into the cutest smile. “I can’t believe you did this for me and that you remembered.”
“How could I forget? Your dad tried to make it for us that one time when I came over for dinner.”
She laughs. “Yeah, but my dad can’t cook. Not like my mom used to, anyway.”
“At least he tries. My dad can barely heat up mac and cheese without burning it.”
“Your dad would just order food.”
“I guess that’s where I get it from. I’m good at ordering from a menu,” I say, laughing.
When I bend down, she kisses me on the lips. It’s just a peck, but it means so much more. She quivers at the slightest touch, my fingers traveling over her skin. I love the way she responds to me.
Even though the food was warm when it got here, I’d been waiting a while for Tori to wake up. We chat about our classes until I finish heating up the chicken and pasta, acting as if no time has passed between us. Tori stands at my side in front of the small stove, with her hand in my jeans pocket. It’s as if we picked up where we had left off before she had found that girl in my bed. A girl I never even touched.
This is my chance to set the record straight.
After we sit down to eat, Tori lifts her fork and shoves the chicken into her mouth, as if she’s in a hurry.
“Oh, my God. Whoever made this could give my mom a run for her money,” she says between bites.
“My dad told me about this restaurant the last time he was in town. They have the best Italian food in the city.”
She nods. “Ain’t that the truth? This is unbelievable. It’s like a party in my mouth.”
Matching her pace, we finish our meal in record timing. I love that Tori isn’t one of those girls who picks over a salad, pretending to eat as she swirls her food in a circle on the plate. Harper does it every time I have the displeasure of sharing a meal with her.
“Are you ready for dessert?” I ask, getting up to clear our plates from the table.
She follows me to the sink and stands next to me as I wash the dishes. Without saying a word, she just watches me, waiting for me to hand them over for her to dry with the towel on the counter. We do this in complete silence. But it’s not the eerie, uncomfortable silence you get during a bad date. It’s the kind you have when you are comfortable enough around a person that there’s no need to exchange words.
After we finish, I dry my hands and pull Tori close to my side. “I missed you,” I whisper. “I fucking miss you. Missed this.”
Her lip trembles as she peeks up at me. “Then, why did you do the things you did, Bash? That’s the one thing I don’t understand. I trusted you. You were my first, the one and only guy I have ever been with, and you betrayed me.”
Taking her face in my hands, I gaze into her big, blue eyes. “I never cheated on you, Tori. Never. Not with anyone. I meant every single thing I ever said to you.”