“I’ll put this in the closet downstairs, but please put on clothes by the time I come back.”
I walk past him and his strong arm wraps around my waist. Our bodies press together and I’m about to melt.
“Still in denial?”
“Of course not. I can’t think straight when you’re holding me, almost naked, smelling like your body wash, which is becoming my favorite.”
Victor chuckles. “That is the very definition of denial.” He releases me, and I want to protest but I don’t because obviously Iamin denial.
“We need to talk.”
“Okay. I’ll do more talking and less ogling if you put on clothes,” I say.
He laughs and moves to his walk-in closet.
“And thank you for wiping the floor.”
I count my steps down the stairwell, place the cleaning equipment back in the closet, and walk up the stairwell slowly so I can count them one more time. When I get back to his room, Victor’s sitting on his bed. Dressed. Thank goodness.
“Get your sexy ass over here. I thought you weren’t going to ogle anymore.” He smirks.
I blush and smile. The step-counting didn’t help. I sit down facing him and put my knee up on the bed.
He studies my face, his eyes piercing mine, but says nothing. I wait but it doesn’t seem like he’ll talk, so I break the silence.
“Aren’t you going to talk to me?”
“So what’s on your mind, Tia?”
I bite my lip. Should I confront him about what Alek told me, about him going out every Thursday? My stomach churns when I think about him drinking or fighting.
“If you don’t stop biting your lip and start talking, I’ll bite it for you.”
Maybe I shouldn’t say anything since I really want his lips on mine.
“I was mad at you and I was scared and… Alek told me about where you go on Thursdays. Do you fight on campus?”
“What do you think I do?” Victor traces the contours of my face with his finger. I shiver.
“I assume what Alek told me is true. He wouldn’t lie to me. I did worry maybe you go to bars… hooking up with women. I don’t know. Drinking?”
Victor brushes a few strands of curls away from my face.
Just saying the words makes me feel stupid. “But it’s none of my business. I’m just concerned.”
Victor shakes his head. “I thought your mind may be wandering in that direction.” He laces his fingers through my hair.
“Well, because you haven’t told me anything yet.”
“Because you weren’t ready to listen. You only hear what you want to hear. And you want to hear another reason why you shouldn’t be with me.”
The air gets stuck in my throat.
“What you’re thinking and what you’ve learned is not true,” Victor says.
I take a sharp breath in. “I’m ready for the truth now, Victor. I’m so embarrassed. I should have come to talk to you, instead of making assumptions.”
Victor nods. “It’s okay. I love seeing all of you—embarrassed, flustered. I want to see you angry, you erupt like a volcano. I want to see you laughing like a lunatic and cry your ugliest sobs. I’ll take everything you can give me.”
