Leo and Sadie both hearted that one, the jackasses.
Liaden hasn’t reacted to any of them. And I can see she’s definitely online, so she must have seen them. That can’t be a good sign. Fuck, what if she never comes back because I’ve made her uncomfortable?
Motherfucking idiot. How can I have been so stupid?
My inner tirade is interrupted by a knock at the front door. I’d growl if I still could.Not now, jeez… Maybe if I don’t respond, whoever it is will go away.
But they knock again, because life never lets up, so I grab a towel and wrap it around my waist. It’s gonna be either Eli making sure I’m still alive, or Leo coming over with Starbucks with a side of air horn, because he’s done that in the past on the rare occasions I’ve been out with him. He’ll get whatever nonsensical over the top grande unicorn latte he’s bought dumped on his head if he even tries.
It’s neither of them, though.
Liaden looks happy to see me as I drip on the floor in front of her, in nothing but a towel.Hot damn. Her hair is draped over one shoulder, pointing to the words on her purple sweater:Solvethe riddle: one of the words in this sentence is misspelled. Her jeans look almost painted on, and she’s a total dream, standing there in a nightmare situation where I have to face her before I’ve managed to get my head straight. I was going to spend a while coming up with the right words to apologize for the way I put her on the spot on her Facebook page. NowI’mthe one on the spot, and I’ll have to think fast.
My face heats with embarrassment, and I go redder still as she looks me up and down, a slow grin spreading across her ridiculously pretty face.
Crap. My cock starts to twitch under the towel because apparently the fucker likes the way she’s scrutinizing my near naked body. If I don’t do something fast, I’ll also be apologizing for an obvious boner in about ten seconds.
I grasp the towel tightly around me with one hand, and with the other, I manage to sign,One minute. I leave the front door open so she can come in, and then dash into my room in a semi-panic, scrambling for any clean clothes I can lay my hands on while my mind races to fix my fuck-up.
“Don’t feel like you have to put clothes on just for me,” she calls teasingly.
I freeze for a second. No. I can’t have heard her correctly.
How can I explain it to her without causing her any further embarrassment?I was very, very drunk… True, but implies I’d have to be in order to want her, and the last thing I’d ever do is insult her. Especially when I’d give my left ball for the chance to be hers just for a single night.
Leo did it as a prank… Come on, do better. She’s a genius, she’d never be fooled by that. And besides, why would Leo bother to do such a thing unless he knew there was a fire to stoke? Plus, he deserves better than to be thrown under the bus like that in my pathetic attempt to save face.
I have no idea what you’re talking about, I must have left my phone unattended when I went to the john, and maybe somebody… Worst. Excuse. Ever.
Taking a couple of slow, deep breaths, focusing on moving my stomach in and out the way some therapist taught me along the way, I think about just telling her the truth. That I got over-confident after a heavy night drinking, and I’m sorry I humiliated her like that in front of all her Facebook friends. That I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable around me, and I promise to delete the post and never do it again. And that if she doesn’t want to see me anymore after her tattoo is finished, I’ll understand.
My chest tightens at that thought. But I’m the one who’s shown my ass in public, and there are consequences, prices to be paid.
One more deep breath and I force my legs to move and head out there to face the music.
She’s looking at the books on my shelf, and the way she smiles when she turns her head and sees me standing there…let’s just say I’m glad I’m wearing more than a towel. She doesn’t look angry, or uncomfortable. Just the opposite, in fact.
That might almost be scarier.
Hey. Sorry about the towel. Thought you were Leo or Eli, or I wouldn’t have…I tug my shirt.
Her dimples show. “Feel free to add me to the list of people you can go shirtless around." She winks, so I guess she's probably kidding.
There’s a heavy silence, and she looks at me expectantly, probably waiting for me to start my apology. It’s seriously good of her to come over and allow me that chance, so we can clear the air and get back to normal as soon as possible.
Focus.
I’m so, so sorry about last night, on Facebook. Liaden blinks in surprise. What the hell does she think of me?I’d had SO much to drink, and I just… I flounder, looking for the right words.I took it too far, and I swear I meant no disrespect.
She signs back.What was that last word?
I finger spell d-i-s-r-e-s-p-e-c-t, and she nods.It won’t happen again.I really hope you can forgive me, and we can forget it ever happened.
“Was that ‘forget’?” she asks, and I nod. She bites her lip, looking deflated. “Oh.”
Shit fuck goddamnit.I’m sorry, I begin desperately.
“It’s fine. We can rewind and go back to…normal. It’s just…” She puts her hands in her back jeans pockets, which pushes her tits forward in a way I am an absolute scumbag for noticing. “Damn it. I was hoping maybe you’d kiss me now.”
