21 Days (Time for Love 2)

When I had the pillow tucked safely between us, I tried to relax and focus on the movie again, but my brain was no longer functioning, and I was suddenly very aware of the fact that Sasha’s ample cleavage was peeking out of her tiny pink tank top. The movie forgotten, I ran my eyes from her French manicured toes, along her long legs, and back to her breasts.

Stop! This is Sasha, asshole.

I ripped my gaze from her and back to the TV, trying to focus on Ally Sheedy’s makeover. The last few minutes seemed to last forever, and when the credits finally rolled, I was ready to mimic Judd Nelson’s fist pump.

“Hey, Red,” I said softly as I shook her shoulder. “The movie’s over, time for bed.”

I clenched my teeth as I watched her stretch as her eyelashes fluttered open.

“I fell asleep?” she asked groggily.

“Yeah, why don’t you head on to bed? I’ll turn the TV off and clean this stuff up,” I said, motioning to the drinks on her coffee table.

“M’kay,” Sasha said as she sat up slowly, then rose and walked to her bed. “Goodnight, TJ, thanks for the movie.”

“Goodnight, Red,” I said, waiting for her to go into her bedroom and shut the door, then moved the pillow that was hiding my erection.

I cleaned up and turned off the lights and TV before heading toward the bathroom. Since I’d agreed to not to rub one off in her bed, and there was no way I was going to get any sleep tonight if I didn’t take care of myself, it looked like shower was in order.

Chapter 6 – Sasha

By the time I woke up, TJ was already gone for the day. I smiled at the note he’d left on the counter.

If you don’t have plans for dinner, I’ll grill some burgers. You can bring the rabbit food. TJ

I’d planned to meet up with a guy I’d seen a couple times, but I’d just text him and tell him something had come up. Spending an evening at home hanging out with TJ sounded more fun. I’d been so excited to come home to find him watching The Breakfast Club last night. After the horrible meeting with Clark, I’d been prepared to come home to a cold, empty house and have a glass of wine. I’d forgotten TJ was even here. It had surprised me how happy I was when I opened the door and realized he was. It had been a good night … Sure I’d fallen asleep pretty early on, but before that, having him in my house had felt very comfortable.

After I was ready for work, I shot TJ a text to let him know that I was on for dinner, then decided to stop by Gaby’s bakery on my way to work. It never hurt to bring pastries to the office, and I was eager to see how Gaby was doing.

A couple weeks ago she’d told Shelly and me that she and Scott had lost their virginity to each other on prom night, and they’d decided to keep it from all of us. It was the only time they’d ever been together, and they hadn’t discussed it since. But then Scott got engaged to that nightmare Victoria, and Gaby decided that she was going to tell him that she has feelings for him. Before she could, Scott had told the guys that he was going to break if off with Victoria, so Gaby hadn’t said anything. Now, however, it looked like the wedding was back on, and I wanted to check and see if she was okay.

When I got into the bakery I slid into a spot right in front of the store, paid the meter, and made my way inside. The bell jingled as I entered, and Gaby looked up from where she was placing cream puffs on a platter. She looked so cute in her whites, with her hair piled under her chef’s hat.

“Hey, Sasha,” Gaby said with a bright smile.

How she was so chipper when she got to work every morning at four a.m., I had no idea.

“Hey, babe,” I said as I whisked my sunglasses off of my face. “Can I get some coffee?”

Gaby chuckled at me and went to the machine to poor me a cup.

“Here you go,” she said, handing me the coffee in a dainty porcelain cup. “Did you want something else for your office, or are you just stopping by for the coffee?”

I took a sip, closing my eyes and letting the caffeine run through me before answering.

“I was going to get some pastries for the office, but I really wanted to see how you’re doing.”

She walked back to the cream puffs and started plating them again.

“What do you mean?” she asked, not looking at me.

“C’mon, Gabs, you know what I mean. I know you’re upset about Scott and Victoria, and I wanted to see how you are doing. Are you still planning to talk to him?” I asked.

Gaby turned to face me, her blue eyes wide.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”