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“You didn’t, I wanted it just as badly as you did. I did say I wanted to be friends. I have Ireland, school, class, threats . . . I just don’t know if I have enough to give. I also don’t want to hurt Ireland. If we try this and you leave or it doesn’t work out, it’s not just me that’s left behind to heal.”
I can tell that he doesn’t like my last statement but he checks himself before saying, “I don’t want to be an added stress to your life, Em. I know you have a lot going on but I’d like to be there to help you. I know you pride yourself on your independence and I don’t want to take any of that away. I would just love to be there for you and Ireland, but you’re already talking about when I leave. That’s not me, Em.”
Yep, I pissed him off.
“I know, but it’s what I know.”
“Emily, I think we should call it a night. I am going to sleep on the couch, after drinking that entire bottle of wine by myself, and you go to bed and think about what you are able to give and if you want to really try this. Just know that I’m all in but I don’t want to add stress to your life. Now please go to bed before I jump you again.”
He’s saying everything that I know to be true and everything I want to hear and all I can do is stand here staring at him. I can’t move and I can’t speak.
“Em?”
I jump at the sound of his voice and reply on auto-pilot. “Let me go get you a pillow and a blanket. I’ll be right back.”
In a haze of lust and with his admissions of wanting to try floating around my head, I walk in a daze to my room to grab a pillow and the extra blanket at the end of my bed and walk them back out to him.
He stands as I reach him and he grabs my face in his hands, closes his eyes, sighs and kisses my forehead.
“Goodnight, Gracie.”
“Night, Georgia.”
Someone Like You
Jonathan
I’m surrounded by my favorite scent of vanilla and coconut—and whatever it is that makes Emily always smell like vacation—as I start to wake up. But I’m not ready to open my eyes and leave my little dreamland. As I lay here in-between sleep and being awake, her scent surrounds me and the instant replay I have going on in my mind. On a constant loop, I keep reliving having her in my arms last night. I know I have to be patient and go slow, but it’s hard when all I want to do is throw her down and ravish her. Keeping my eyes closed and hidden from the morning sun starting to peek through the blinds, I think back to last night on this very same couch with her in my arms and her lips on mine. I’m afraid if I open my eyes I’ll be back at home alone in my bed and everything from last night will end up being just a dream that will disappear.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I feel a tiny little finger tapping me on the nose and am assured that I’m not at home alone in my bed and last night was thankfully not a dream. The smell of vacation is from the pillow I slept with that must be right off of Emily’s bed. And I have a feeling the tap on my nose is from a cute as hell little blond. I think I’m in Heaven.
“Good morning, Jonafon,” Ireland whispers into my ear.
I’m lying on my side facing her and I open one eye and whisper back, “Good morning, Princess.”
“You slept over?”
“I did.”
I sure hope this is an okay conversation for me to be having with her?
“Did the Wild Things make you sleepy too?”
“They did.”
“Well, if you stay over again tonight you can use one of my stufties to sleep with so you aren’t all by yourself out here on the couch,” she says as we both continue to whisper to each other. This little girl and her big brown eyes and her sweet little smile are quite something to wake up to. She is something else.
“Ah, thanks sweetie. Is your momma still asleep?”
“Yep, just me and Frank are up and now you!” she says loudly and then pops her adorable little hand over her mouth realizing she didn’t whisper that time.
“Shall we get up, let Frank out and then make your momma breakfast?”
“Oh yes, let’s make breakfast!”
“Okay, let me get up and get dressed and then we’ll go brush our teeth and get breakfast started. But let’s be sure to be quiet so we don’t wake up your mom okay?”
