alright. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m glad to hear that your urge to vomit has passed, because dinner is ready, and I’m not wearing shoes.”
----
W e had our picnic after all. Dining on the carpet in front of the fire, we sat cross-legged, knee to knee, another bottle of wine, this one slightly less than four thousand dollars, decanting on the hearth.
“I wish I had known you in high school,” he said, taking a bite of steak pie, sucking air in through his teeth and waving at his mouth.
“I know.” I laughed. “It’s really hot. Delicious, but hot.”
“Vewwy hawt.”
“Why do you wish you’d known me then?”
He chewed and swallowed, took a sip of his wine and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Because I would have been your friend,” he said simply, glancing up at me. “I would have liked to have been there for you, during that time.”
“Ha.” I laughed. “If I’d known you in high school, none of that would have ever happened. I’d have jumped your bones and run off to England with you to play Lady of the Manor.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” He forked up a bite of pie. “I was not terribly impressive back then.”
“I refuse to believe it,” I said, shaking my head. “Dimples, curly hair, that accent and the glasses. Irresistible.”
“Well no one ever told that to Jennifer Chaudhry.”
“Oh no. Unrequited love? Sounds serious.”
“Nearly life-threatening.” He nodded. “I was besotted. Completely. And she didn’t even know I existed.”
“Poor boy.”
“I used to have fantasies, about proving my worthiness to her through some gesture of masculine heroics. Saving her from a bully, or a runaway train or something.”
“Aw, see? You’ve always had those Prince Charming tendencies.”
He laughed. “It comes from having sisters, I think.”
“It comes from having a good heart,” I said, smiling at him. “Thanks for being there for me today.”
He stroked my knee and smiled back. “As I recall, you were there for me first.”
“Okay then we’ll call it even.”
He beamed. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this time. Your company.”
“Me too.” I felt the color rise in my cheeks. “And all the mind-blowing sex—can’t forget that.”
“I couldn’t if I tried. You’ve marked me,” he said. “Indelibly.”
“This whole weekend has been like a beautiful dream,” I said. “Like we’ve been living in this parallel universe, away from everything and everyone. I hate that it has to end.”
“I should’ve never answered my phone.” He ran a palm over his face and groaned. “God, what was I thinking? We’d have another whole day if I’d just said no to that imbecile.”
“No, I’m looking forward to the party,” I said. “I want to get dressed up for you. And I can’t wait to see you in a tux. I just wish we didn’t have to go back to the real world after.”
“The dream has to end sometime, I suppose,” he said, taking my empty plate from me and stacking it with his on the hearth.
“Maybe not,” I said, reaching up to stroke his cheek as he turned back and hovered over me.
“How’s that?” he asked. His hands released the belt to my robe, and slipped inside to caress my bare skin.
“Well,” I said hesitantly,“I had planned to go to my mom’s house on Monday, just to get out of town, take some time off. She’s on a cruise right now, with her boyfriend. She won’t be back till Christmas Eve. But even then, I mean, you could stay and celebrate with us. I just thought you might…” I got my answer before I’d finished speaking. A sly smile was slowly spreading across Thomas’s face as his hands crept along my hips. He threw a knee over my legs and straddled me, caging me with his body.
“Are you asking me to go home with you for Christmas Holiday?”
“Only if you say yes.” I laughed. “If you say no,
“You’re welcome,” he said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “And I’m glad to hear that your urge to vomit has passed, because dinner is ready, and I’m not wearing shoes.”
----
W e had our picnic after all. Dining on the carpet in front of the fire, we sat cross-legged, knee to knee, another bottle of wine, this one slightly less than four thousand dollars, decanting on the hearth.
“I wish I had known you in high school,” he said, taking a bite of steak pie, sucking air in through his teeth and waving at his mouth.
“I know.” I laughed. “It’s really hot. Delicious, but hot.”
“Vewwy hawt.”
“Why do you wish you’d known me then?”
He chewed and swallowed, took a sip of his wine and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Because I would have been your friend,” he said simply, glancing up at me. “I would have liked to have been there for you, during that time.”
“Ha.” I laughed. “If I’d known you in high school, none of that would have ever happened. I’d have jumped your bones and run off to England with you to play Lady of the Manor.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” He forked up a bite of pie. “I was not terribly impressive back then.”
“I refuse to believe it,” I said, shaking my head. “Dimples, curly hair, that accent and the glasses. Irresistible.”
“Well no one ever told that to Jennifer Chaudhry.”
“Oh no. Unrequited love? Sounds serious.”
“Nearly life-threatening.” He nodded. “I was besotted. Completely. And she didn’t even know I existed.”
“Poor boy.”
“I used to have fantasies, about proving my worthiness to her through some gesture of masculine heroics. Saving her from a bully, or a runaway train or something.”
“Aw, see? You’ve always had those Prince Charming tendencies.”
He laughed. “It comes from having sisters, I think.”
“It comes from having a good heart,” I said, smiling at him. “Thanks for being there for me today.”
He stroked my knee and smiled back. “As I recall, you were there for me first.”
“Okay then we’ll call it even.”
He beamed. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed this time. Your company.”
“Me too.” I felt the color rise in my cheeks. “And all the mind-blowing sex—can’t forget that.”
“I couldn’t if I tried. You’ve marked me,” he said. “Indelibly.”
“This whole weekend has been like a beautiful dream,” I said. “Like we’ve been living in this parallel universe, away from everything and everyone. I hate that it has to end.”
“I should’ve never answered my phone.” He ran a palm over his face and groaned. “God, what was I thinking? We’d have another whole day if I’d just said no to that imbecile.”
“No, I’m looking forward to the party,” I said. “I want to get dressed up for you. And I can’t wait to see you in a tux. I just wish we didn’t have to go back to the real world after.”
“The dream has to end sometime, I suppose,” he said, taking my empty plate from me and stacking it with his on the hearth.
“Maybe not,” I said, reaching up to stroke his cheek as he turned back and hovered over me.
“How’s that?” he asked. His hands released the belt to my robe, and slipped inside to caress my bare skin.
“Well,” I said hesitantly,“I had planned to go to my mom’s house on Monday, just to get out of town, take some time off. She’s on a cruise right now, with her boyfriend. She won’t be back till Christmas Eve. But even then, I mean, you could stay and celebrate with us. I just thought you might…” I got my answer before I’d finished speaking. A sly smile was slowly spreading across Thomas’s face as his hands crept along my hips. He threw a knee over my legs and straddled me, caging me with his body.
“Are you asking me to go home with you for Christmas Holiday?”
“Only if you say yes.” I laughed. “If you say no,
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