I settled back into Crescent’s lap, listening to him from below. “Well, we’re looking at houses and apartments. My parents want us to move closer to home with them.”
“Move?” Sarah’s eyebrows pulled together in concern. “I didn’t know you guys were going to move.”
I shrugged. “We aren’t completely sure we will yet, but we’re definitely looking at options.”
“Oh. That kinda sucks. I’d miss you guys.”
“Aw, Sarah.” Crescent was frowning with her. “You’d be welcome to visit us any time. But like El said, we aren’t sure if we will or not.”
“It just feels like it was yesterday when I saw you guys for the first time. And when I brought Elio here. You two have been such awesome friends. You’ll have to tell me if you decide to go.”
My heart ached for her. “You’ve done so much for us, Sarah. We truly appreciate you more than we could ever express. I mean, you saved my life.”
Shaking her head, she held a hand up. “I didn’t save anyone’s life. Don’t thank me for that. I’m just glad I’ve gotten to know you.”
Crescent was petting my hair, the movement and warmth of his hand soothing me with each pass. “We’re glad we’ve gotten to know you, too. I promise we’ll keep in touch.”
“Don’t worry about that, guys. You never know where life will take you.” She paused for a moment, Crescent and Igiving her time to continue if she needed to. Instead, she put on a big smile, though it seemed a little sad. “So, do you guys want to watch something on the cooking channel?”
We did just that, laughing together through every challenge the contestants faced. Life felt easy and complete in that moment. Having fun with our friend, a TV show we all liked playing in the background.
But throughout the show, I still couldn’t get that house out of my mind. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea at all.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I walked into the bedroom,taking in the covered trim of the walls. There were canvases spread across them, all about an inch apart. Elio had been painting like a madman lately, coming in here when I’d be at work and not coming out until dinnertime.
He seemed to be stockpiling, almost. Or maybe his creativity had taken over again. I whistled from behind him, watching as he turned my way with a smile. “Good thing we’re moving. We’d run out of space if you kept up like this.”
My Sunshine was covered in paint and didn’t seem to believe in wearing an apron. The black crop top he wore was splattered with greens, blues, and whites, all coming together to make their own masterpiece. “I’m so excited to have a room just for painting.” He walked up to me,wrapping his arms around my neck. “I also can’t get this one specific idea out of my head.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” I touched our noses together, smiling at him.
“Could you imagine if I fucked you right against those windows?”
I turned my face just in time to cough a little, taken aback by the fantasy he’d put in my head. “Oh, wow. Yeah, that’d be really nice.”
He hummed, chasing my lips with his own. We inhaled through our noses at the same time, breathing each other in. “Mmm, you smell like blueberry muffins. I just want to eat you up.”
There was never a dull moment with him, most of them ending with me getting a hard-on. “At least let me shower first, Sunshine.”
Sighing dramatically, he stepped back. “Ugh, no fun. I’m also probably gross, all covered in paint and shit.”
“Oh, no, you look fucking delectable. Shower together?”
“How could I say no to that, huh?”
Fuck, I loved hearing his voice in all its glory again. All that time with my earbuds in to drown out the voices had taken such a toll on me, and I hadn’t even realized it. Until the day I died, I’d remember the slight rasp he had when he was talking dirty.
It made me shiver every time.
I grabbed a couple of towels and headed to the bathroom while he packed all of his art supplies up for the night. We still had to cook and eat dinner afterward, anyway. Elio was going to be cooking with me for the first time since he’d left Jude. It was a big milestone for him, and one I was honored to share with him.
Making sure the water was warm enough, I pulled all of my clothes off and stepped under the spray, cleansing mybody after a long day at work. I knew Elio liked the smell, but after so long working in it and smelling like an entire bakery, it got old really fast.
It wasn’t long until I heard the door open, then Elio was stripping and stepping in behind me. “Hi, honey,” he whispered, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Have you washed yet?”
Shaking my head, I finished rinsing the shampoo out of my hair. “No, I haven’t.”
