“I remember all of it, but I was pretty worried you were a ‘not going to forgive me’ type of pissed, so I thought I might have just imagined it was you.”
“You thought you went home with another girl and just pictured her as me?”
“It was a concern, yes.”
“Why?”
He rolled over, throwing an arm over me and snuggling into my side. “Wouldn’t want to go home with anyone else,” he mumbled.
“Again, why?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t be loyal?”
“You wouldn’t have to be, since I wasn’t talking to you.”
“It’s not really something I’m interested in,” he said, rolling over to look at me. He glanced at the tablet in my hand. His eyebrow cocked, and he grabbed for it before I could stop him.
This one was a pile of skulls, built up into the shape of a tree trunk where the tree bloomed from. Branches crawled across the screen until bright pink flowers burst from them.
“You make very dark drawings for a girl who loves bright shit so much. Very morbid. I love it,” he said, sounding genuine.
“You do?”
“One hundred percent love it and would get that tattooed on me.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would,” he said, glancing at it again. “I will.”
“Don’t even think about it,” I said, turning it back to face me.
“I don’t need to think about it. I’ve already decided. What time is it?”
“Around eight. I texted Aiden that you might be a little late.”
He groaned as he rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. “I take a night off and I waste half of it out at a bar rather than here in bed with you. How stupid.”
“I wouldn’t say it was all wasted out of this bed. We spent a good bit of time here.”
He grinned, rolling us until I was under him. “That’s very true. If I leave to go to work, can I come back tonight?”
“Or I could come to your place?”
His face fell and lips pursed. “You can’t. Not now, at least.”
“Why not?” My stomach tightened, the anxiety from everything he hid making me panic.
“Not for any of the terrible reasons you are thinking. You just can’t right now. Maybe in a week or two.” His fingers brushed my hair back, but it wasn’t as soothing as I hoped.
“Oh,” I said, pushing away. “Got it.”
“Don’t. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with some problems we are having there.”
“But I can come over soon?”
“Yes, you can. I have to get to the shop today, though, then some…jobs later tonight, so I’ll be here late.”
“Alright. You know how to get in. I might be asleep.”
