beer and pasta, and a great
view. The sun is about to set. No pressure. No weirdness. We can
just kick back, and if at any time you feel weird, just speak up.
You can say no, but I really hope you don’t. I’m not ready for this
day to end either.” He lifted my chin up, forcing me to look him in
the eye.
I smiled. “Can we have a safe word?”
His eyes got big. “Now who’s going fifty
shades? What are you planning to do to me that I would need a safe
word?”
I threw my head back and laughed, snorting a
few times. “No, more like an ‘I’m feeling weird, please make it not
weird’ safe word,” I said, playfully shoving his shoulder.
“ An ‘it’s getting weird’
safe word. OK. What’s the word?”
“ Um, starfish?”
He looked me right in the eye. My heart
started to pound in my chest. Did he think I was a total dork? Had
I ruined this perfect day? Fuck, I felt like the freak in high
school all over again. I waited for him to reply. It felt like the
theme to Jeopardy was playing in the background.
A smile spread across his face. “Starfish it
is. You OK to follow me?” I exhaled. He seemed to just go with
whatever I threw at him. Damn. I was smitten.
“ Yeah.” I smiled, glancing
up at him for a second before looking down at my hands. “Thanks,” I
murmured.
“ For what?”
I looked him in the eye, something that was
hard for me to do. “For being cool. For today. For starfish.”
“ No problem, Elle. It’s part
of the ride, right?” He took my hand, and kissed the palm. He
spoke, his lips against my hand, “I’ll wait for you to pull up
behind me.”
I wrapped the hand he was holding around his
cheek, cupping his face. “Yeah.” I smiled, nodded, and hopped out
of his car before it turned into starfish time. He could be so
fierce, yet so compassionate. How could one man encompass the
virility of Apollo, the strength of Atlas, and kind heartedness of
Artemis?
I got in my car and ran my
hands over my lips, remembering all the things J had done with
them, and done to them. I couldn’t help smiling. I shook my head and chuckled a
bit. This day had gone better than I could have ever expected.
These things didn’t happen to me. Before I could over think it, I
threw the car into DRIVE.
I followed J’s Suburban back to his place.
It wasn’t far from the arcade. The house was small, but it sat on
what looked like a little over an acre of land. There was a pond
behind the house. The sun would be setting over it soon. He was
right, he had a great view.
I parked my car behind his in the driveway.
He came to my door and opened it, again holding his arm out for me.
I couldn’t help my crooked smile as I reached out and took hold. He
led me up to the front door, unlocking it and ushering me
inside.
“ It’s not much. Living
room,” he said motioning to the room we walked into. It was sparse
with a brown leather couch and matching recliner facing a mounted
flat screen TV.
“ Is that recliner command
central?” I teased.
“ During the playoffs it is.”
He smiled. “There’s two bedrooms upstairs and this is the kitchen,”
he said, leading me into a smallish room. Plenty for a bachelor
though. I was sort of a connoisseur of kitchens as I spent forty
plus hours a week in one, but I kept my mouth shut. “This is the
best part,” he said, grabbing my hand and walking us into a sun
porch off the kitchen that overlooked the pond. “It wasn’t heated
originally. I had a friend swap the screens for windows, and
insulate it for all four seasons so I could sit out here and watch
the sunset in December as well as June.”
“ Oh wow. This is the shit.”
I ran my hand over the brown leather love seat that must have gone
with the set in the living room. There was a wooden coffee table
that sat in front of the loveseat. The base was made out of wood.
It had an eagle perched on a bear’s shoulder carved into it and a
sheet of glass lay on top of it.
The entire wall opposite the
view. The sun is about to set. No pressure. No weirdness. We can
just kick back, and if at any time you feel weird, just speak up.
You can say no, but I really hope you don’t. I’m not ready for this
day to end either.” He lifted my chin up, forcing me to look him in
the eye.
I smiled. “Can we have a safe word?”
His eyes got big. “Now who’s going fifty
shades? What are you planning to do to me that I would need a safe
word?”
I threw my head back and laughed, snorting a
few times. “No, more like an ‘I’m feeling weird, please make it not
weird’ safe word,” I said, playfully shoving his shoulder.
“ An ‘it’s getting weird’
safe word. OK. What’s the word?”
“ Um, starfish?”
He looked me right in the eye. My heart
started to pound in my chest. Did he think I was a total dork? Had
I ruined this perfect day? Fuck, I felt like the freak in high
school all over again. I waited for him to reply. It felt like the
theme to Jeopardy was playing in the background.
A smile spread across his face. “Starfish it
is. You OK to follow me?” I exhaled. He seemed to just go with
whatever I threw at him. Damn. I was smitten.
“ Yeah.” I smiled, glancing
up at him for a second before looking down at my hands. “Thanks,” I
murmured.
“ For what?”
I looked him in the eye, something that was
hard for me to do. “For being cool. For today. For starfish.”
“ No problem, Elle. It’s part
of the ride, right?” He took my hand, and kissed the palm. He
spoke, his lips against my hand, “I’ll wait for you to pull up
behind me.”
I wrapped the hand he was holding around his
cheek, cupping his face. “Yeah.” I smiled, nodded, and hopped out
of his car before it turned into starfish time. He could be so
fierce, yet so compassionate. How could one man encompass the
virility of Apollo, the strength of Atlas, and kind heartedness of
Artemis?
I got in my car and ran my
hands over my lips, remembering all the things J had done with
them, and done to them. I couldn’t help smiling. I shook my head and chuckled a
bit. This day had gone better than I could have ever expected.
These things didn’t happen to me. Before I could over think it, I
threw the car into DRIVE.
I followed J’s Suburban back to his place.
It wasn’t far from the arcade. The house was small, but it sat on
what looked like a little over an acre of land. There was a pond
behind the house. The sun would be setting over it soon. He was
right, he had a great view.
I parked my car behind his in the driveway.
He came to my door and opened it, again holding his arm out for me.
I couldn’t help my crooked smile as I reached out and took hold. He
led me up to the front door, unlocking it and ushering me
inside.
“ It’s not much. Living
room,” he said motioning to the room we walked into. It was sparse
with a brown leather couch and matching recliner facing a mounted
flat screen TV.
“ Is that recliner command
central?” I teased.
“ During the playoffs it is.”
He smiled. “There’s two bedrooms upstairs and this is the kitchen,”
he said, leading me into a smallish room. Plenty for a bachelor
though. I was sort of a connoisseur of kitchens as I spent forty
plus hours a week in one, but I kept my mouth shut. “This is the
best part,” he said, grabbing my hand and walking us into a sun
porch off the kitchen that overlooked the pond. “It wasn’t heated
originally. I had a friend swap the screens for windows, and
insulate it for all four seasons so I could sit out here and watch
the sunset in December as well as June.”
“ Oh wow. This is the shit.”
I ran my hand over the brown leather love seat that must have gone
with the set in the living room. There was a wooden coffee table
that sat in front of the loveseat. The base was made out of wood.
It had an eagle perched on a bear’s shoulder carved into it and a
sheet of glass lay on top of it.
The entire wall opposite the
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