“No, I mean, not unless you want to,” I replied awkwardly.
Clattering from the kitchen drew our attention and I sighed. Clearly Oliver had decided not to go straight to bed and was attempting to make himself something to eat.
“I’m in no rush to leave just yet,” Rowan replied, glancing at his watch.
“What time is it anyway?” I asked.
“Half nine.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Fuck me, really? That went quickly.”
“Well, y’know what they say. Time flies...” Rowan replied, smiling as I yawned. “Tonight hasn’t been too painful, has it?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I’ve had a really good time. You’re great company.” Rowan shot me a knowing smile and I jostled him playfully with my elbow. “Not just likethat.”
“I’m only teasing. I’ve had a good time tonight too,” Rowan replied softly, and a strange moment of comfortable silence drifted between us. There were still a million things I wanted to know about Rowan, but I held my tongue, feeling like he’d shared more than enough about his complicated private life for one evening. This was the first of many dates – I hoped – and I was sure I’d have the opportunity to find out more eventually.
When Rowan and I settled back down, watching TV, I grabbed my phone and quickly tapped out a message to Becca.
MAX: Tonight has been great. I’ve spoken to Oliver. Sorry if he was a knob on the phone. Will call you tomorrow.
When no reply came through, I figured Becca was probably already in bed or busy and I put my phone back on the bedside table. I wasn’t tucked right in against Rowan, but he had his arm stretched over the back of the headboard and my shoulder rested comfortably against his body. Even that small contact was enough to give me chills.
Eventually, Rowan yawned and scrubbed a hand down his face, glancing at his watch again. From his deep groan, I figured it was considerably later than it had been when he last checked it.
“I should get going,” he muttered, sitting up and stretching his back.
“Sure,” I got up, straining my ears for any signs of life coming from the living room. It was calm and silent.
Rowan bent down and put his shoes back on before standing and shrugging into his coat. He headed to my bedroom door, but as he reached it, he turned to face me and leant back. I realised he had no intention of leaving just yet, and to my surprise, stretched an arm out and pulled me forward by my t-shirt. I laughed but let him draw me closer and my body tipped to lean against his.
Rowan closed the gap between us. Although his kiss was chaste and simple, his hands pressed me into a tight embrace. I exhaled, allowing my eyes to flicker closed and grasped him by the back of the neck. After a few moments of possibly the best kiss I’d ever had, Rowan gently peeled me off his body.
He cleared his throat before speaking. “I had a really good time tonight.”
“Yeah, me too.”
His eyes flickered down to my mouth, and I leaned in to kiss him again. Just as I feared we were beginning to get too caught up in the moment, Rowan pulled away.
“I really need to go, stop kissing me,” he laughed.
“Alright, alright,” I sighed, leaning around him and pulling my door open. I snuck out ahead of Rowan, checking the coast was clear. Oliver was fast asleep, snoring loudly on the sofa. When Rowan hesitated in the hallway, I silently motioned him forwards and we crept to the front door.
“Message you later?” I whispered as Rowan turned back to look at me from the corridor.
“Absolutely.” He looked up and down the corridor before kissing me quickly and turning away towards the lifts. I watched him leave; glad he couldn’t see the goofy smile on my face as I closed the door.
Chapter Nine
The week passed quickly. Rowan and I continued to pretend there was nothing out of the ordinary by day, but spent hours texting one another every night, telling one another all the things we had wanted to say and do. He hadn’t seemed keen to talk about his personal life in any further detail, so I did my best to forget he was a married man, however unhappily, with a family and focussed instead on charming him. I couldn’t get him out of my head. We flirted shamelessly, I sent him any funny memes I’d come across through the day and we shared photos. Rowan was surprisingly funny and often had me grinning at my phone like a buffoon.
A message pinged through, and I unlocked my phone. Speak of the devil.
ROWAN: What about this one: Dentists do it twice a day?
I laughed aloud, pausing to think up a witty response.
MAX: Dentists do it orally?
