I still hadn’t had any calls or texts from her, and I wondered if she would still come over tonight to watch the movie. Maybe I’d messed everything up. I swallowed down a lump in my throat at the thought.
I’d just gotten out of the shower, dried off, and changed into a T-shirt and some sweatpants when there was a knock at my door. My heart leapt.
She was here.
I stared at my front door a beat too long before I finally forced my legs to move. Opening it, I found Afric standing there, a smile on her face like everything was perfectly normal. She stretched up and kissed my cheek softly in greeting before stepping inside my flat.
“Hey, so what type of food are you in the mood for?” she asked, walking by me and into my living room. “I was thinking Chinese, but if you have your heart set on something different, I’m open to suggestions.”
I ran a hand through my damp hair. “Um, there are some menus in the cupboard. Let me grab them,” I said, going into the kitchen.
When I returned, she was sitting on my couch. I sat next to her and placed the menus on her lap. She started to peruse them.
“Ah, feck, now I have too many choices. What about Turkish kebabs? I love that garlic sauce they slather all over the kebab meat.”
“A kebab sounds good.”
“Hmm, but then I always get garlic burps after.”
“Right, those aren’t pleasant.”
“I love you, too, by the way,” she said, so casually that I didn’t register it at first. Her attention was still fixed on the menus. “Oh, and now I want Italian. I’m actually ridiculous.”
“Afric,” I said, my pulse pounding.
“Hmm?”
“Can you repeat what you just said?”
“What? That I want Italian? I know, I’m so greedy. Maybe we could order a selection.”
I pushed the menus off her lap and grabbed both her hands in mine. “Stop talking about food for a second and look at me. Did you say you loved me?”
She rolled her eyes, a grin tugging at her lips. “Since you decided to blindside me today as I was leaving on the Tube, I thought it was only fair that I return the favour.”
“You love me?” I whispered, a happy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“I think I started falling for you the day you sent me that adorable selfie of you standing in Central Park,” she said, and I huffed a laugh.
“I think I started falling for you the day I sent you that selfie and you slagged me endlessly for it.”
“I am quite fond of teasing you when you get embarrassed. This is true.”
Without warning, I tugged her close, smashing my mouth to hers in a hungry, feral kiss. I felt a puff of air leave her. Then she reached up, her hands sinking into my hair. I groaned at the scrape of her nails on my scalp before she crawled into my lap. A rumble emanated from deep in my chest. I pulled back, my breathing ragged.
“We should order food,” I said. Before I end up fucking you on this couch.
Afric nodded, looking just as worked up as I felt.
“Right. Good idea. Food. What were we going to order again?”
I smiled and caressed her cheek. “How about we just go with your original plan and get Chinese? I feel like showing you all those menus was a bad idea.
“Okay, Chinese it is. But we’re double carbing it. I want noodles and fried rice.”
I went to grab my phone. “Your wish is my command.”
“I like being your girlfriend,” she said, a contented smile on her face as she lay back on the couch. I had to resist staring at her lips and how puffy they were from my kisses.
I like being your boyfriend.
Once I’d placed our order, I returned to the couch and lined up the movie. Afric settled in beside me, her head resting on my shoulder. There was something peaceful about just being with her like this. I felt at ease for the first time in who knew how long.
“Wow, I had no idea what a hunk Ciarán Hinds was in his youth,” Afric said a little while into the film.
“Please don’t start thirsting after actors again. My ego couldn’t handle it,” I said, placing a kiss on her temple.
She chuckled. “Don’t worry. It’s just a bit of window shopping. You’re the only man I want to defile in real life.”
I lifted my arm and threw it around her. She snuggled in close.
“Defile is an interesting choice of word.”
“You have no idea what’s in store for you,” she teased. “I’ve been having some serious thoughts. You may be a little traumatised by the time I’m done, just FYI.”
The buzzer sounded, and I reluctantly went to collect our food. I really wanted to stay and have Afric explain these so-called thoughts of hers in greater detail. When I returned, we dug into the food and continued watching the movie. At one point, Afric sat forward and removed the baggy jumper she’d been wearing. I watched with rapt attention, no longer interested in what was happening on screen. She wore a white T-shirt underneath, and it was tight enough for me to appreciate the womanly curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts.