Oh, I dropped my box.
His lips look delicious.Is that sugar?I want to taste him.
Oh God, how long have we been standing like this?
“T-thank you.”It comes out shaky, shakier than I’d like, but I can’t feel my knees right now.A light breeze is likely to knock me over.
His grip tightens.It’s nice.Solid.Strong.It’s the only thing keeping me together.
“That’s good.In and out.I’ve got you.”
He does, so I focus on his words.His voice is sweet.I like the accent, like the way he’s still calm.Steady.Like his chest.I press harder, chasing thepa-dumof his heart under his sweater.
I don’t think about work or the apartment.I don’t need to think about anything other than breathing in and out and the searing heat of him.I used to make Ma bury me in a pile of steaming clothes, straight from the dryer.I’d curl up underneath and soak in the warmth.I’d like to drape Lucky over me sometime.
There’s noise around us, people probably, but all I can see is him.
It helps.
Slowly, the rest of the world comes into focus.Cars, people, my feet on the ground.How closely we’re standing together.Intimately.A tingle runs up my spine.
He smiles.“Come on.I know a spot.”
I let go and step back, blinking up at him.
* * *
Make Your Choice:
go with lucky(go to 27)
go home alone(go to 19)
go back(go to 9)
“I could eat,” I say.
“Great.”He slips his jacket back on.“I know just the place.”
We end up at a hole-in-the-wall ramen spot down an alley I’ve never seen.Tables are stuffed into every corner, and the air is thick with the most delicious spices.
Sterling pulls out a chair for me.“I practically lived here when I first started at the paper.”
An older gentleman with thinning hair and kind eyes drops his hands onto Sterling’s shoulders.“He fell asleep in this booth so many times that I almost brought in a mattress.”
Sterling pulls him into a hug, and his smile is so bright that I feel like I’m trespassing.
“Do you want your usual?”
Sterling sits, his knees brushing mine.Have we ever touched before?I can’t seem to remember, and I can’t stop being aware of it.
“Can you give us a few minutes to look over the menu, Leo?”
“Of course.”
Leo smiles at me.I want to tell him this isn’t what he thinks—that Sterling can’t stomach a conversation with me, let alone a date—but I know he won’t believe me.
“Take your time, but I recommend the champon.”
