His face stills, so I joke, “It’ll probably catch up with me by the time I turn thirty. Does that freak you out, dildo?”
He coughs, laughing. “Okay, when did you turn into one of the boys?”
We reach our vehicles. He parked right next to me this time. “I was raised with five boy cousins. I am definitely one of the boys.”
He looks at me like he’s surprised. I don’t bother to explain that I vibe way better with guys than I do with girls.
He drives behind me closely, and when we get to my apartment complex, I point at the designated parking spots for guests. I park in my spot and wait for him at the bottom of my stairs.
As he’s walking over, I notice the confidence in his step, the amusement in his eyes when he glances around, and the playfulness in his tone as he says, “Nice place.”
“I’m upstairs.” He follows behind me, and I wonder if he’s looking at my ass or if this truly is platonic. I want friendship more than anything right now. I don’t need a boyfriend. I don’t need sex. I want to talk to him about that. I feel like it’s important to make my intentions clear. And I guess inviting him in is a great start.
I unlock my front door and remove my shoes.
“Welcome to mi casa,” I say as he steps in and removes his shoes. I note that I didn’t even have to ask. Brownie points for him.
“Nice,” he says as I walk into the kitchen. It’s a bit crowded in here with the furniture. It’s a two-bedroom, but the living room and dining room are pretty small.
“Want a protein shake?” I ask, not really giving him an option. I’m making one for him even if he declines.
But he nods. “I would love one.”
I work around the kitchen, adding in frozen fruit, soy milk, and protein powder. The blender fills the silence as Dylan takes a seat at the dining table.
I pour the shake into two cups and hand him one, taking the seat across from him.
“What do you want for dinner?” he asks, looking at his phone. “Sometimes they take forever, so let’s put in the order now.”
“Chow’s Cart,” I say. “I want the orange chicken, white rice, shrimp scampi, and they have the best dumpling soup ever.” I stop talking because of the look on his face. “Shit, sorry. Did you get all of that?”
“Slow down. I’m still on Chow what?”
I repeat myself, but wait for him to find it on the app. It takes him a little bit, and then I connect him to my WiFi.
“Sugar, how’d you get WiFi?” he mocks, but with amusement in his tone. “You’re hilarious.”
“Ready for the password?” I ask, sipping on my shake.
“Let’s hear it.”
“Alligator nuggets. No spaces. Capital A.”
He licks his lips. “You are something else, Cecily.”
Then I give him my address for the order. He orders my food off the menu and reads through it to see what he’s going to order.
He’s done with the shake, so I grab his cup and take it to the sink to wash.
“If you don’t eat all of this––”
“I’ll put my hands behind my back and let you bitch slap me,” I offer.
His mouth opens in disbelief, then closes and opens again. “You really grew up in a house with five boys, huh?”
I smile. “Don’t worry, I used to kick their asses. I’m the oldest.”
“Oh,” he starts laughing. “You were the boss.”
