“Yeah.” His face was still unreadable.
“So?”
“So, I came here to talk in person.”
“So talk.” I instructed while crossing my arms. He lifted his shoulders to sit up straight and moved closer to the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry you heard the conversation between my brother and me. I’m also sorry that I shut you down when you asked me what it meant for us. I’m not usually the caring type, except with my family, yet with you I am, and I’m definitely not the scared type.”
“Scared?” I asked.
“Yes scared, Mia. I’ve known you for only a week now, and I have these suppressed feelings for you. It’s hard for me put it all together. I’ve never felt like this; it makes me feel weak and out of control knowing that I can’t put it all together.”
“Are you used to putting everything together?” I asked, dropping my hip and tightening my crossed arms.
“Yes, that’s what I do for a living. I analyze every little piece of evidence until I make sense of it. But with you I can’t.” I see where he’s going with this.
“It’s okay. I get it, Marcus. You feel we don’t make sense together.”
“No! You don’t get it. We make perfect sense together, but there are so many reasons why we shouldn’t be together. I keep trying to go over it in my head, weighing my options on what’s best or what should be done.”
“Best for whom exactly? You? Me? Us? Or what’s best for your brother?” This visit was starting to piss me off. “It’s really not difficult at all, Marcus. You either want to be with me or you don’t.”
“I want to be with you. You know I do. But I can’t.”
“So why are you even here? You could’ve simply ignored my text, and I would’ve taken the hint, Marcus.” My hands moved to my hips; I was really getting annoyed. So I did what any woman would do…ripped my towel off and let it drop to the floor. Okay, maybe not every woman.
I stood there long enough to show him what he’d be missing. His eyes began to trail up and down to view every inch of my curves. They grew dark with desire. I started to slowly walk towards him, looking straight into his eyes. I was only inches away from his knees, but I didn’t touch him, instead I slightly turned, walked past him and into my closet. I could hear him exhale as I entered the sliding doors.
I knew he was behind me; I could feel him staring. I pretended that he wasn’t there, so I bent over to the lower drawer, knowing damn well my panties and bras were in the top drawer. I roamed through my sweats and shirts. Ah, I grabbed a pair of fitted yoga pants and a white fitted t-shirt. Slowly I put them on with my back facing him.
His mind would go crazy knowing I wasn’t wearing any underwear. I turned around and slightly jumped, acting as if he scared me. He was leaning against the inner entryway of the closet door with his arms crossed. I didn’t move. I just stared at him. He was so handsome, and his dark brown eyes looked lost and confused. I instantly felt guilty for how I was acting with him. It wasn’t fair to him.
“Look, Marcus, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be inconsiderate of your feelings and your work. If you brother feels as though this is a busy time in your life and you don’t need any distractions, then I understand. Can we at least be friends?” He didn’t say anything for few seconds. He finally began to move towards me; I was a little taken back. I didn’t know what he was going to do. When he was a foot away, he reached up and tucked a piece of damp hair behind my ear.
“The thing is, Mia, you see,” he hesitated and placed my face between his hands while caressing both of my cheeks with his thumbs, “you see the thing is with or without you, you’ll be a major distraction. All I do is think about you. So why can’t I be with you, knowing that you’ll have the same effect on me either way? I can’t just be friends.” I nodded in agreement. He made a valid point. He breathed out a crooked smile and pressed his forehead down to mine.
“So what does this mean?” I whispered with hope. My heart picked up pace with anticipation.
“Be my girlfriend.” Girlfriend? I couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s so funny?” He asked amused.
“Girlfriend sounds so high school-ish. Don’t you think?” He laughed out loud.
“Okay, well, be my woman-friend, my lover, my partner…whatever you want to call it. I don’t care. Just be mine.”
“So you’re saying you want us to be exclusive and label this relationship?” I pointed my fingers between us.
“Yes.” I bit down a smile at that comment.
“What about at work? What will we be considered at your office? What will people think?”
“Don’t worry about what others think. I’m not going to hide my feelings for you. If they ask what our relationship is, I’ll simply tell them you’re my girl—no woman-friend.” He smiled. I smacked his shoulder and giggled.
“Okay, so I guess we’re exclusive then?” I asked, double-checking.
“Yes. Now come here.” He pulled me in and kissed me long and hard.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning I awoke feeling sore but refreshed. Marcus and I spent another magical night together, and I couldn’t help but smile at the realization when I opened my eyes. I stretched my arms over my head and looked over beside me. He fell asleep with me last night, but he wasn’t there. When I glanced at the alarm clock on my nightstand it was ten minutes to seven. I reached for my phone and noticed a text from him.
Marcus (5:30am): I had to go home to get ready for work. You looked too peaceful to wake up. It was tempting though. I miss you already. See you in the office, babe. ;)
No one would have been able to wipe the grin off face. This was how he made me feel: like a teenage girl. I threw my head back into the pillow and stared at the ceiling. Last night was absolutely wonderful. Three times in one night had to be a world record for sure—well at least in my sex life it was. It was like we needed it desperately. I could feel his stress, and he could feel mine. The minute our bodies connected, all of our problems and issues were wiped away and solved.
We didn’t talk about work or family or anything depressing. Instead, we talked about our favorite movies, foods, hobbies, and shows. We laughed and made fun of each other. I snuck pizza into the bedroom once Jeremy was asleep. We ate and talked some more. To be able to see a side of him that he said most people didn’t see made me feel special. I had a feeling we were going to be good for one another.