“Yep, best combo ever.”
“Hmm, I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“I’ll get you one. You’ll love it. You’ll see.”
Every so often we stop talking because we can’t stop kissing. And then we stop kissing because we can’t take our eyes off each other.
It’s a shock when I notice the light in the room has changed. The black of night has faded. A new day has dawned.
“Shit,” I say, suddenly sobered. “You better get going.”
He checks his watch and gets out of bed. He dresses quickly in total silence. I watch him, unsure if I’m watching my life starting or ending. My heart is hammering indread at the thought of him leaving, not to mention the thought of him going back to Selby.
When he’s dressed, he leans over me and kisses my cheek.
It’s the one thing we haven’t spoken about. The shiny white elephant in the room, so to speak.
Maybe he sees the fear in my eyes or was going to say it anyway, but either way, he says, “I’m going to leave her.”
My heart shifts gears. Fear to rampant, euphoric hope in under five seconds, only to be suddenly and spectacularly snuffed out by guilt so big and heavy it feels like a weight on my chest.
“It’s not your fault, Jude,” Romeo says quietly. “This is on me, not you. She has a big day at work, so I’m going to wait until she gets home tonight, but then I’m telling her it’s over, okay?”
26
“I drink to thee”
Now
The sound of thedoorbell jolts me from sleep. I stumble downstairs in nothing but a pair of sleeping shorts, thinking unpleasant things about Ian and his team and renovations in general. It isn’t them. It’s Romeo. I can’t tell if he’s slept in the few hours since I saw him. His eyes are glassy and still a little red, but they’re clear. He’s dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a white T-shirt, and he has a cup of takeout coffee in his hand.
He holds it out to me and says, “I brought you a coffee. Thought you might be tired.”
I can’t stop the smile that takes over my face, so I don’t even try. “Aren’t you tired too?”
“I am. I’m beat.”
“Where’s your coffee then?”
He grins sheepishly and goes pink from his neck to his ears. “I, er, I guess…I guess I just wanted an excuse to take another look at your face.”
Fuck me. The things that makes me feel.
He’s still grinning and holding the cup up. I take it from him and take a sip. It’s heaven. Strong and sweet but not too sweet.
I raise the cup to Romeo in a silent salute and drink again. He’s watching me with a soft, mushy look on his face, which is doing things to my heart. Somersaulty, head-over-heels, set-a-match-to-your-life kinds of things.
“Want to share?” I offer.
He takes the cup and has a sip.
It’s almost nothing. It’s silly at best, but this little interaction makes me happier than I’ve been in years. Without thinking, I lean down and plant a kiss on his lips. He takes me by the back of the neck and kisses me back with meaning before we realize the front door is still open and we’re in clear view of our neighbors. We stop as suddenly as we started, and I crane my neck left and right to ensure nobody saw.
“Get in here,” I say, kicking the door shut and pinning him against the wall once he’s inside.
He offers me another sip of coffee, and I take it.
It’s better than good.
