“Donuts?” Andrea responded. “Say less. We can use all the help we can get.”
Samira’s shoulders visibly relaxed. She smiled as Andrea helped herself to a donut when he held the box open. After a pause, Samira followed suit and selected a donut.
“You didn’t have to bring donuts. But thank you.”
“I figured with your kitchen in disarray, it was safe to assume food would be appreciated,” he explained.
“Well, I’ll just be upstairs painting that bathroom then,” Andrea said as she made her way back upstairs.
Samira bit her lip before a smile broke free. “Why is it people can’t wait to leave the room whenever we’re around each other?”
“Maybe they can read my mind.”
At that, Samira quickly set her half-eaten donut on the coffee table and went back to painting. “There’s a box of trim brushes and trim rollers and trays under that table. If you want, you can take the gray paint and start cutting in.”
Andy followed her suggestion and got to work. He didn’t miss how flustered she became every time he tried to flirt with her. Even when they first reconnected, she didn’t seem quite so skittish around him. He hoped she wasn’t uncomfortable with the possibility of something permanent between them.
Together, they worked in silence and had the living room painted by early afternoon. He had forgotten how much work painting was. When he stood up to stretch his back, nearly every muscle protested. When he looked over at Samira, she seemed to be in as much pain as he was.
“You’d think I didn’t do manual labor for a living,” he joked.
“Imagine how I feel,” Samira retorted as she massaged her right shoulder with her left hand and attempted to stretch her neck.
Andy moved to where she was standing and placed his hands on her shoulders. Ignoring her sharp inhale, he gently massaged the muscles of her shoulders and back, closing his eyes as he appreciated the feel of her soft skin under his hands. His body’s response to her soft groan of appreciation was unexpected. His hands stilled as he tried to regain control over himself and his traitorous cock.
“What do you wanna do for lunch?” Andrea asked before coming to a halt upon seeing Andy and Samira. “Oh. Um. I can just go back up and paint…um…something.”
Samira quickly stepped out of his grasp. “No, uh. You’re fine. Let’s order pizza. Mario’s will deliver.”
Andy would make it a point to find out why she was suddenly so uncomfortable around him. Sure, it wasn’t pretty when she ended things again, but it was civil. Things seemed to be back to the way they used to be when his father passed. He wouldn’t assume that they would magically get back together because of that, but they had at least seemed to be in a good place with each other.
“In the meantime, what else can I do? I know the clock is ticking,” he offered.
“I’m going to take a break,” Andrea said. “Whatever you decide, I hope it doesn’t involve me.”
Samira gave a nervous laugh. “Andrea, this is volunteer work. You can always say no and take breaks whenever you need to.”
“Yeah, but I won’t have you judging me,” she said with a laugh.
“Andy, pay her no mind. If you’re serious, though,” she said before pausing. “How do you feel about hanging Christmas lights?”
It had been years since he had put up Christmas lights. His mom’s focus had mostly been on the inside of her house. She only ever had him hang lights above the front porch. He usually didn’t bother with his own house since it was just him.
“I wouldn’t say I’m against it, but I don’t have much experience,” he admitted.
“We have most of the upstairs painted. All that’s left is the hallway. I’ve been pretty busy here all week, and Andrea has been here since Thursday. I really wanted to get some Christmas lights up. Would you mind?”
“Why don’t you order the pizza then put some more clothes on and come outside. If I’m doing this, I want to make sure I do it the way you want it.”
He didn’t miss the look Andrea gave Samira before she stepped in. “I’ll order. You two go on outside and figure that out.”
As soon as they were alone outside, Andy grabbed her by her shoulders and nudged her against the closed door, caging her in. He didn’t want to frighten her, but he was done trying to figure it out on his own. Even though she closed her eyes, her lips were parted, and she didn’t pull away.
“What is it?” he asked. “Why are you acting so nervous around me?”
She opened her eyes and held his gaze for several moments before she responded. “I just don’t know how to act around you anymore.”
He moved in closer, so he was merely inches away. “Have I done something to make you nervous? To lose your trust? Even if there’s nothing else between us, I can’t lose your trust.”
