“What time is it?” She peeled her face off my chest, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from making a smart-ass comment about the imprint my hair made on her face.
“After four.” As soon as she sat up, I stretched my arm, grateful when the blood flow returned.
I could have eased it out from underneath her earlier, but I didn’t want to risk waking her. Sleep seemed to be the best medicine. Every time she woke up, she seemed to feel a little bit better.
“I’ve taken up your whole day.” She watched me as if she expected me to agree. “I’m feeling so much better. I should probably go home.”
“Not yet.” It shocked the hell out of me. Social interactions usually wore me out fast. I’d never thought about sharing my space with anyone before, but I liked having Elena in my bed. I didn’t want her to leave and despite her words, she didn’t seem in a hurry to go. “Are you hungry?”
She tipped her head, considering. “Yes, very.”
“I can fix that.” I still had the sub I’d ordered for her but that felt like too big a stretch to start. “We should still probably go slow. What about ramen?”
“That sounds perfect, but let me get it this time. You’ve done more than enough.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“Don’t be silly. I order so much from them, I’ve got an account.” I watched to make sure she was steady on her feet before reaching for my phone. “Tonkatsu ramen okay, or do you want to look at the menu?”
“That’s the pork one, right? That would be great.” She headed to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I placed the order then looked around the room. I kept my spaces deliberately sparse with just the things I needed to function. It meant even when I forgot to pay attention, the clutter couldn’t get too out of control. In the bedroom that meant my TV, bed, dresser, and nightstands currently holding an old Gatorade bottle and our glasses leaving wet rings of condensation on the dark wood tops. I set the empty glasses on the tray to take to the kitchen and swiped at the rings with the paper towel tucked under Elena’s empty plate.
Left on my own, the tray would sit beside the bed until Anna collected it or it grew legs and walked to the kitchen. I didn’t think I was too good to clean up after myself. I just didn’t think about it at all. Once I finished using something, I had to force myself to remember to put it back where it belonged. It was another thing that changed with having Elena in my space. I looked at things the way she’d see them and knew the clutter would bother her.
Her phone still sat on the tray. When I picked it up to set it on the nightstand, it flashed with an incoming text.
J
In Hong Kong researching a new place. I saw this and thought of you. Beautiful, vibrant, breathtaking. I’d love to show it to you sometime.
The screen filled with an image of the city skyline that looked like it had been taken from the top-floor lounge of a busy skyscraper. I dropped the phone on the bed as if it stung me. Ignoring the questions I wasn’t about to ask—like who the fuck was J, and what else he planned to show Elena—I grabbed the tray and headed for the kitchen.
19
Needing to keep my hands busy, I loaded the plates into the dishwasher, which would probably shock the shit out of Anna the next time she came. I rinsed the bottle and tossed it into the recycling and then went on to clear the rest of the counter, putting away the groceries I hadn’t bothered to deal with the night before. I’d gotten as far as spraying the soapstone countertops with the bottle of stuff Anna kept under the sink by the time the delivery guy buzzed to let me know the food arrived.
“Hey man, two orders this time. You got company?” Zac, the Kimuras’ teenaged son and weekend delivery driver, waggled his eyebrows at me.
The Kimuras owned the best ramen shop in the city. I ordered from them so often they knew exactly how I liked my ramen, down to the extra egg. We’d gotten friendly when Mr. Kimura mentioned a glitch in their online ordering system, and I helped him out. He’d insisted on paying me for the help. I insisted we take it out in trade for noodles.
“None of your business, Zac,” I said, smiling slightly to soften my words. I didn’t love what it said about my routine that an extra order of ramen was enough of a curiosity to warrant a comment.
“Whatever you say, boss.” The kid pocketed the twenty I handed him as a tip and left humming one of those bouncy pop songs to himself.
I set the bag on the counter and poured two more glasses of icy ginger ale. Under normal circumstances, I’d eat the ramen out of the giant waxed cardboard container, dumping the fixings on top of the broth. It didn’t seem right to serve it to Elena that way, but I didn’t know if I had bowls big enough to hold the ramen. I had my head in the base cabinets, digging around for something that might work, when I heard Elena clear her throat behind me.
“Nice ass.”
I straightened, careful not to whack my head on the cabinet frame, and turned to see her grinning at me. My MIT sweatshirt hit her mid-thigh, leaving her gorgeous legs visible and her feet bare. Her polished toenails—fuck-me-red—were the only bit of her that wasn’t completely natural. Her bed-tousled hair begged me to run my fingers through it, but it was her lips, full and pink with a delicious curve, that had me abandoning my quest and crossing the room to meet her.
“I’m not sure I can handle this level of objectification.” I pulled her into my arms, letting out a breath as she melted against me.
“Really?” She murmured the word with her lips pressed to my chest. “I don’t recall you having a problem with it before.”
“I guess it is late to start objecting.” I kissed the top of her head and reluctantly let her go. “Ready to eat?”
“Yes, please.”
She hopped up onto the barstool, and I slid the ginger ale and ramen container in front of her.
