And just like that, our short conversation is finished.
Stepping out of the shower, I feel relieved being home. The flight schedule for the last few days had been a little hectic. Luca and I FaceTimed as soon as I landed. Even though it was a little past his bedtime, my mom kept him up so I could say good night. I’ll pick him up first thing in the morning.
It’s interesting that even though I don’t share Luca with his dad, sometimes I feel like I’m in a similar situation with my parents, like what I think would be comparable to co-parenting. I’m grateful every day for the role they continue to play in Luca’s life. He loves being with them.
I put on my robe then stand in front of the mirror to brush my teeth. After I shut off the water, I hear an unexpected soft knock at my front door.
It’s got to be Mason.I see my cheeks redden in my reflection in the mirror.
I scurry over to my closet to put on a pair of joggers and a long-sleeve cropped shirt. I have to let my wet hair hang loose but run a quick brush through it.
Before opening the door, I take a quick look at myself in the hallway mirror as I apply some cherry ChapStick. It gives my lips just a subtle hint of pink.
Peeking through the peephole in the door, flutters erupt in my chest when I see a pair of emerald-green eyes staring back at me. He’s wearing business casual clothes with his sleeves rolled up on his collared shirt; he probably just came home from the restaurant. I like that he’s been coming straight here after work.
I pause briefly before unlatching and opening the door.
“Hi.” I stare up at all six feet, three inches of him.
“My heater is broken, and it’s pretty cold in my condo. I was wondering if I could sleep here for the night?” he asks.
He wants to sleep here?Oh god. We’ve hooked up every night that I’ve been alone for the past few weeks—but not one time has he stayed the night.
Mason comes over when Luca is at my parents’ house, we have sex, then he leaves shortly after. This seems personal; I need to tell him he can’t. But I don’t want to tell him no. But I also don’t want to blur the solid lines that we’ve created.
What we’ve been doing is working out very well.
“Of course. The couch is yours,” I say, gesturing to the sectional in the living room.
“Thanks.“ The building maintenance said they’d be over in the morning to take a look at it. I almost went to your brother’sor my parents’, but I figured I’d check with you first,” he says, walking in with a black sports bag in his hands.
“Of course.” My eyes fall closed, breathing him in as he moves past me.Keep your shit together, Bailey.He isn’t here to mess around; he just needs a place to crash for the night.
“Also, do you mind if I shower?”
“N-no, of course not,” I stammer.
“Great, thanks.” Heading into the bathroom, he shuts the door behind him. Silence. Then I hear the door lock.
Obviously, he is only here out of necessity and to actually sleep. While Mason is in the shower, I remove some extra blankets and pillows from the cupboard in the hall. Setting the folded items onto the couch, I glance up to see him standing in the hallway with only a white towel wrapped around his waist.
I swallow hard as heat pools between my legs.
Shit.This is going to be difficult.
“Stop looking at me like that. I’m not here for sex,” he says.
I have to look away to gather myself. “I put some blankets and pillows on the couch for you,” I say, facing the opposite direction. “And what are you talking about? I’m not looking at you like that.”
I hear him laugh behind me, somehow smoothing all the sharp edges of my soul.
“Sure,” he quips, closing the door behind him once again, presumably to put on his clothes.
I need a glass of wine to help me get some rest because it’s going to be nearly impossible with him sleeping in the next room.
I walk across the cold tile in the kitchen, then bend down, searching the back of the refrigerator for my last unopened bottle of wine. I grab it with one hand and shut the door with the other.
Seeing a black figure move past me, I glance up to find Mason standing on the other side of the door. “Having a drink, are we?”
