"I want to go see a movie. There's that scary one that's supposed to be really good. It just came out yesterday and-"
"Done," I respond, stopping her from rambling any further. Not that I don’t love listening to her talk, but one of the things I've learned about her is that she likes to ramble sometimes when she's on the verge of overthinking. It's cute, but I don't want her to retreat.
"Really?" she asks, her eyes brightening and her pink cheeks glowing against her skin.
"Yes. Anything you want. If it's a movie you want, then done," I say to her not realizing that I've reachedout to brush her hair behind her ear. But I do and she closes her eyes for a moment while seemingly holding her breath.
The gesture feels natural for me to do, and she doesn't stop me from finishing it out as my fingers brush behind her ears; the softness of her hair brushes against my skin. When I pull back, she opens her eyes up at me, her lashes covering them a bit and I realize just how intimate the notion is.
"Sorry, I just-"Couldn't help myself, is what I was going to say before she cuts me off.
"No, don't be." She reaches out to touch my forearm in an act of reassurance and I appreciate her approval. Quite frankly, I don't hesitate with her, and I really could care less to apologize for my actions because I mean every one of them. But with her, I don't want to overstep. I still don't know what she's comfortable with entirely so I drink in every ounce of the approval she gives me, noting the way she responds so that I can use it all later.
Both of us turn our attention to the sound of a phone chiming next to us. I recognize it as mine and I reluctantly leave to go check it. While I did move my schedule around to have these days solely dedicated to Weslyn, I might still have a needy client reach out. But in all honesty, they can wait.
I decide to not give up even a second of my time with her to see who the text is from and instead I click onto the movie theater website.
"Anyone important?" I look up to see that she's apprehensive about asking, but it's the slight sense of worry I detect in her tone that has me needing to make something clear.
I put the phone down for a brief second and beckon her to me. "Come here," I say and she doesn't think twice about following my direction.
She walks a few feet to meet me at the other side of the island where she allows me to grab her hand and pull her in.
"I know what you're thinking," I tell her. "I heard it in your voice." I take the risk to pull her chin up, pinching it gently between my fingers before looking down into her beautiful eyes.
"Whatever you're thinking, don't. Regardless of what either of us expects from this time together, I want you to know that there is not and hasn't been anyone else." I make sure my words hold their strength in the truth I'm giving her; I don't want her to doubt it for a second.
And she keeps me on my toes by smirking while I still grip her chin, lowering her voice a smidge.
"Are you assuming me to be jealous of a text message, Kyran?" Her tone is devious and so is the sparkle in her eyes.
God, the feral need to lean down and kiss her is an idea running rampant in my mind and I have to let go of her entirely to not follow it through.
"Iwould be," I admit so as to give her an idea of just how serious I am about the time we're spending together, no matter the outcome. And I'm not anywhere near ashamed to have confessed it to her; I would be jealous if I had any suspicion that she was texting another person in the same capacity as me.
The tension between us expands, not quite getting to the point where it's potent enough for detonation, but I can feel it climbing to that level with every second we spendnear each other. I have to take a step back and reach for my phone to proceed with the movie tickets in order to not give in to the temptation I am craving. I won't make the first move. I can't. Not unless I know it's what she truly wants.
"Are you good to go in an hour?" I ask her as I hover over the option for the five o'clock showing.
I notice how her eyes flutter just enough when she sucks in a little breath of air before answering me. "Sounds good to me," she turns around on her heel to head for her suitcase. "Mind if I borrow the shower?" she asks and something in me freezes.
I didn't even think much about her needing to use my shower. While there are two bedrooms in my apartment, there's only one bathroom with a shower, the other is just a half bath.
I watch as she pulls at her leggings, giving me a slight look of disgust before she picks up her bag. "Gross airport clothes," she defends, and I have to swallow the lump building in my throat before answering her.
"Of course. My room's back that way if you want to meet me there. I'm just gonna finish buying these tickets," I tell her as I nod her in the direction of my room, and he smiles sweetly at me before disappearing down the hall.
A few minutes later, I head down toward my room. I hear the shower running in the distance which I guess doesn't bother me. I only wanted to make sure she had everything she needed and…
Wait,the towels.
Unless she found one on her way in, there's no towel in the bathroom for her. I don't have a lot of storage space in the bathroom, so I keep my towelsin the built-in cabinets that are located in my closet, which is through the bathroom.
I knock on the door to see if she can hear me, but she doesn't respond so I shout her name through the wood.
"Weslyn!" I call out, and I still don't hear anything. I decide it's not that big of a deal, so I retreat to just let her have her shower but right as I turn, the door opens.
"Kyran?" she questions and I have to hold myself accountable, forcing myself to stay still when I answer her, and not to turn around.
