His still-damp dick was nestled against my hip, and there was something comforting about the sensation. I sighed contentedly and he kissed my newly-acquired hickey. “So, boyfriend?” he said musingly after a few seconds.
“Hmm?”
“What are we gonna do for our first date?”
Oh, shit. First dates were a big deal, whatwerewe going to do? Should I take him to a nice restaurant? A movie? It had been a long time since I went on a date, and even then they had been more like hang-outs than romantic interludes. Ramsey had never been a hearts and flowers type. I wanted to impress Jamison, to make him want to stay with me. What kind of date communicated that? Shit, I needed to talk to Jamal. He’d have some good ideas.
I must have been quiet for too long, because Jamison picked his head up and met my wide eyes. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to pressure you. We don’t have to go on a date-date. We can just hang out.”
“No!” I said quickly. “I want to…I mean, you deserve…” I bit my lip. “But maybe it’s better if people don’t see you with my awkwardness.”
“No.” He pinched my side playfully. “Nope, we’re not doing that. I like your awkwardness - which, by the way, isn’t nearly as awkward as you think it is,” he added before I could speak, “and I think we’d have fun going out and doing something. But I also like just hanging out with you and the cats, at your place or mine. And I’d love to watch you work sometime. I’m curious about how you do the…” He waved a hand helplessly. “...wood. Stuff. Wood stuff.”
Heh. Wood stuff. No one had ever described my work quite like that. “Sorry,” I said. “I just don’t really know how to date. Like,datedate.”
Cocking his head to the side, he pondered that. “Why don’t you let me plan our first date, and it can be a surprise for you? Within reason,” he said before I could panic. “I’m not going to, like, whisk you away to Antarctica or make you go water skiing with no warning or training. Just something low-key and fun.”
I considered that for a moment. Did I trust him enough to let him surprise me?Yes, the answer came to me after a few seconds. Jamison had yet to do anything I didn’t want, or even to push me unduly. I could trust him with this. I nodded. “Okay. Yeah.”
He grinned. “Awesome. You’re mine and I get to plan a date. And I just had earth-shattering sex. This is the best day ever.”
I couldn’t help but return his smile. “I bet I can make it better: wanna go pet some cats?”
With an excited noise, he scrambled up to his knees, almost nailing me in the balls but thankfully missing at the last second. “Cats!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his excitement. “You have your own cats now, you know. You can pet them any time you want.”
He was already off the bed and shimmying into his pants, apparently too eager to bother with finding his underwear since he was now going commando. “Yeah but these arebonuscats. Gotta pet them all.”
Hey, fair enough. I rolled off the bed and reached for my boxer-briefs. “I’ll even let you feed them.”
He squealed, I rolled my eyes, and we spent the rest of the evening loving on my cats.
17
Jamison
Week 10 - Wednesday night
Isighed and logged out of my work VPN, closing my server access window with a harder-than-required click of my mouse. I was exhausted after what felt like a whole week’s work crammed into a day. We were preparing to launch a community consultation about a new policy, and I’d spent the past eight hours drafting communications and then deliberately picking them apart from the most negative point-of-view I could muster, so we could be prepared for how naysayers might react. I felt like I’d spent the day slapping myself, both mentally and physically. My eyes ached; my brain ached; my soul ached.
I loved my job. I did. I had opportunities to make a difference in the world. But sometimes it was soul-sucking. I needed to recharge. I reached for my phone and thumbed open my texts, reading the last messages Hen and I had exchanged this morning.
Me:And that’s why I’m having to lock Minnie out of the room while I work. I feel like I’m kicking a, well, kitten.
Hen:She’s young, she’ll get over it. Give her and Kellogg kisses from me, and then go do your work. Xx
I’d done as he asked and smooched each cat on top of their head, causing Kellogg to swat at me and Minnie to immediately start to bathe. Cats. But I had to admit, it was a decent way to start my day when kissing Hen wasn’t an available option, which it hadn’t been today. We’d been confining our sleepovers to weekends for the past few weeks since we officially became an item. Otherwise it was too tempting to stay in bed and skip out on, or at least be late for, work, and Hen had a commission coming due and I had, well, this shittastic consultation to prepare for.
I sighed. So much for clearing my mind. Time to ask for assistance.
Me:Distract me from work worries.
There was no reply for a few minutes, and, muttering darkly, I stalked into the kitchen and started rifling through my cabinets to see what I had to eat. Honestly, very little. Cans of baked beans did not a healthy dinner make. I found a box of mac and cheese and considered it for a long moment. Did I have milk to prepare it with? I set the box on the counter and crossed to the fridge.
Just as I was opening the fridge - yes, milk! - my phone buzzed. I grabbed the milk carton and whirled to check my messages.
Hen:[gif of man dancing wildly]
