Her eyes slowly lift to meet mine. “After everything that just happened? You think we can just crawl into bed and pretend—”
My eyes fall closed. “No, I’m not asking you to pretend. And I don’t want sex. I just… don’t want to be without you tonight.”
My hand falls away, because I meant what I said. I don’t want her to feel trapped, or like I’m holding her here, and I want her to know I’m not trying to manipulate her into staying. This is about exactly what I said.
I need her tonight.
Period.
“When I was in that cell, what scared me more than being arrested, more than losing my career, was the thought of having to be here tonight while you were somewhere else,” I admit.
She studies me, hopefully seeing my heart through my words. Or better yet,feelingit.
“You can’t keep expecting me to be willfully blind, West.”
I shake my head. “That’s not what this is. I’m just asking you not to quit on me while I’m trying to get this shit right.”
We’re in one another’s space, not touching but that doesn’t matter. It’s like we’re heart-to-heart anyway. The invisible tether that connects us is still so strong.
“I won’t stop you if you want to leave in the morning.”
She draws in a breath and that tether pulses.
“Just stay.”
The silence stretches long, but then she exhales. “One night,” she says, and I’ll take it.
We’re silent as we head upstairs, careful not to wake Grandpa. It’s strange crossing the threshold of our bedroom with her again. It feels like it’s been forever. Too long.
I change carefully because my sling’s still out in the truck somewhere. Blue does the same, in the closet where she has privacy. We meet at our bed and slip beneath the comforter carefully. Like we’ve never done this before, like we’re notallowed, but even with a foot of space between us, this is better than being without her.
We’re silent but not asleep. Her warmth is starting to flow beneath the comforter, and it’s taking everything in me not to hold her, bring her into my side, but… boundaries.
Another stretch of time passes, then she sighs, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“I don’t mind if you touch me,” are the words that leave her mouth, and it’s enough to let me know I’m not the only one who missed this.
I don’t say anything back, just scoot to the middle of the bed as she does the same. Our bodies just click into place like they always have, and this is the first time in a long time that I’ve felt like I’m home.
Because home has never been about a physical structure or an address…
It’s always been about her.
Home is whereversheis.
*
@QweenPandora:
Talk about a fall from grace…
We all knew #KingMidas had his father’s blood flowing through his veins, but I never pegged him as violent.
The footage doesn’t lie, though.
Caught from multiple angles, our golden boy was recorded giving one savage beating to #TheBenchwarmer tonight. You know, the same guy #NewGirl was recently spotted hugged up with on the south side?
Hmm… wonder if the two events are related?
