“Yeah, I know. I love you too.” She said after we finished brushing our teeth and was getting into the shower together.
—
An hour later, I was standing in front of my mirror fixing my collar when Simone came back into the room looking at me sideways.
“Where are you going looking and smelling like that?”
I turned around and looked at her. She had her hands on her hips and that expression on her face that she got when she was deciding whether to be suspicious or turned on.
“I got a business meeting to hit up,” I said.
“Business meeting?” She repeated it flat, like she wasn’t buying it. “Dressed like that?”
“I always look good, let’s not forget that now.”
“Gutta, please don’t start that,” she rolled her eyes at my truth.
“Simone.” I walked over to her and put both hands on her face and looked at her in the eyes. “Baby after the way you wore me out this morning you never have to worry about me stepping out on you. I wouldn’t even have the energy. I can barely button this shirt right now cause I’m so damn weak, if I’m being honest.”
She laughed in spite of herself and pushed my hands away. I pulled her back and kissed her and felt her smile against my mouth before she pulled away again.
“Go to your meeting,” she said.
“I’ll be back later. We doing dinner tonight.” I went back to the mirror and finished with my collar. “You cooking or you want me to handle it?”
She was quiet for a second too long.
I looked at her reflection.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed looking at her phone and something in her posture told me before she said a word.
“The renovation people called,” she said. “My place is ready. I’m going home tonight Gutta.”
I turned around all the way.
“Why.”
“Because that was always the plan. This was temporary. My place is done and I need to go back.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It makes perfect sense. I have a home of my own.”
“We’re about to buy one together.” I crossed my arms. “If we’re making that move anyway why are you going back there. Just put it on the market now and stay here until we close on the new place. I’ll handle everything. You don’t have to worry about none of it.”
She looked at me and I could see her thinking hard on it. Wanting to say yes and finding reasons not to.
“That’s a big step Deon.”
“We’re already taking it soon anyway. What’s the difference between taking it now and taking it in the next few months.”
“The difference is I like having my own space sometimes and I’m not ready to give that up completely until we are moving into OUR home that we purchase together.”
I looked at her for a time.
“Yeah alright,” I said.
She looked at me like she knew exactly what that meant.
