While he unpacks the takeout, he chats, and I flick through the horror movies, reading the titles out loud and laughing at how corny they sound.
“Beneath the Stairs?” I say, pausing on one that doesn’t look as terrible as the rest.
“Beneath the stairs it is,” he nods, handing me a plate filled with a portion of each dish he ordered and spring rolls and sweet and sour pork balls.
“I haven’t had Chinese in ages. It’s my first choice whenever we get takeout,” I tell him.
“I’m really glad I chose it then. It was between this and pizza, but pizza seemed so generic and boring.” He leans back and sets his plate on his lap, then wraps his arm around the top of the sofa pillows behind me. Picking up his fork, he spears a pork ball and dips it into the sauce. It seems like the most natural thing in the world to be sitting here next to him, eating dinner with his arm behind me, making me feel safe.
I hold my plate on my lap and click play on the movie. Tossing the remote aside, I snuggle deeper into the blankets, closer to him and his gorgeous scent, as his warmth soaks into my side.
“Oh, I almost forgot the most important part,” he exclaims, leaning forward to grab two fortune cookies off the coffee table. “Pick one,” he says, holding his hand out to me.
I take one of the little folded cookies.
“You have to open it now and eat it before you read your fortune, otherwise it won’t come true,” he says.
“So many rules, I never knew about the rules,” I giggle, tearing the packet open. I break open the cookie, pull out the little slip of paper, pop the fortune cookie into my mouth, and chew it.
“What does it say?” Marlen asks.
“It says… sun shines like warmth from your heart, you must choose wisely who to share it with,” I say, almost a whisper. Damn. Even the fortune cookie can read my thoughts.
“That’s deep,” Marlen muses.
I shove the fortune into my pocket, shocked at how relevant it is.
“What does yours say?” I ask.
“It says… mistakes made can be forgiven, but repeated, they are a pattern, not an error.”
He narrows his eyes and smiles. “These things are pretty intense, hey, what happened to theyou’ll have a great day'fortunes?”
I giggle, amused that he seems as affected as I am by his fortune.
“The universe has funny ways of telling us what we need to hear,” I say, picking up my chopsticks.
Marlen eyes me for a second, then chuckles. “I admire you for eating with those things. I can never get it right.” He holds up his fork and grins sheepishly.
It’s hard to pay attention to the movie and eat, and deal with the distraction of Marlen being this close to me. But at least with so much going on, I’m not thinking about Simon’s offer anymore.
When I’ve finished my dinner, Marlen takes my plate off my lap and sets it on the table. This time, when he leans back, he doesn’t put his arm on the pillows, but rather wraps it around my shoulders and pulls me close to his side. I snuggle against him, getting comfortable and forgetting anything else.
“This is nice,” he whispers quietly.
Glancing at him, I find him watching me.
A smile plays over my lips. He lifts his hand and brushes his thumb over my cheek. “Your dimples make your smile even more beautiful,” he grins.
My heart flutters and I bite my lip, wanting to kiss him, but knowing I shouldn’t. Just because we had an incredible moment on the yacht… it doesn’t mean we can be together.We’re from opposite sides of the same world. It would never work.
Instead, I lean my head against his chest, and he plays with my hair while we watch the movie in comfortable silence. His heart beats against my cheek, and my heart beats in time to it.
It’s strange how I can feel so relaxed in his arms.
I can’t do anything that will put him in danger. I can’t risk his safety.
Chapter 15 - Marlen
