AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jane’s place hasn’t changed a bit. It still feels just like home. We walk into the space and she turns to me, her eyes glowing with emotion. I’m hoping most of it is happy emotion.
“I think I wanna change.” She gestures to her dress. I track the way it clings to her curves and sigh. I wouldn’t have minded a turn or two on the dance floor, but I’ll have to make that happen some other way.
“Sounds good.”
She jerks her thumb over her shoulder. “You want to change too?”
I quirk a brow. “You didn’t chuck my stuff out the window?”
She smiles and laughs. “No. It’s just where you left it.”
We walk into the bedroom and I move to take off my jacket, followed by the bow tie, vest and all the other pieces that go with this stupid thing. I’m embarrassed to admit how many people helped me with it, but I had the girls’ approval when I left, so that must have meant it looked alright.
I go to the drawer that Jane gave me months ago and smile when I see everything exactly where I left it. If not a little more organized.
“Did you organize this?” I glance over and see her struggling with her zipper. She shrugs at me and continues to fight with her dress.
Clad in boxers and nothing else, I walk up to her and help her unzip, only taking the smallest liberty and kissing her bare shoulder as I do it. Her skin has a slightly cool feeling to it, being that it’s damn near December, the air outside drops rapidly once the sun goes down.
“There,” I tell her as I finish.
I step back to the dresser and grab a shirt and shorts, going for casual sleepwear. Regardless of where we end up in our conversation tonight, she’ll be hard-pressed to get rid of me.
“Wanna go grab something to drink? Maybe talk in the living room?” Her timid, unsure voice has me turning and I see she’s let her hair tumble down her back, an extra-large T-shirt hangs down to midthigh and I realize it’s one of mine.
The sight has my chest easing and I smile at her question, giving her a nod. There’s so much I want to say to her, my heart is in my hands, waiting for her to take it back. But I don’t want to jump into the conversation, I want to take our time, make sure she knows the bullshit of the last few months won’t ever happen again. I won’t allow another outside force to direct my emotions or actions.
In the kitchen, I watch with mild amusement as Jane makes herself a hot chocolate, she lifts her brows at me and just because it’s fucking cute and I love the fact that this is her thing, I nod my head.
I could give a fuck less what we drink. I’m more interested in holding her in my arms and making love to her. But I hold on to the sliver of patience I have left.
When the drinks are done, we make our way to the living room. I flip on the gas fireplace out of habit and she sets the drinks down. I spy her record player in the corner and wander over, flipping through a few records and find one that will work. I hook up the song and it starts to play.
I glance back at Jane and see her blowing on her drink, taking tentative sips. As the song starts to play throughout the room, Jane glances up and notices me looking at her. I smile and make my way to her, holding out a hand. “Dance with me?”
She doesn’t question it more than a quirk of her brow and sets her mug carefully on the coffee table. She takes my hand and lets me lead her until we’re in the space between the coffee table and fireplace and her hands wind around my shoulders and behind my neck, I don’t break eye contact with her as my hands wrap around her, holding her close.
I breathe her in, letting the music move us in a slow circle.
“This is nice,” she murmurs, looking into my eyes.
The amount of love I feel for the woman rises tenfold and I can’t hold back any longer, leaning forward, I press my lips against hers and hold her to me. She responds by parting her lips slightly and letting me in.
“I missed you,” she says in a hoarse whisper.
“I missed you, too, baby. So much.” It’s true. Even with the amount of fucking work I’ve done in the last few weeks, even though life has changed dramatically for both of us, there wasn’t a single moment that Jane didn’t cross my mind.
“I love you,” she admits quietly but not weakly.
“I love you too, Janie,” I respond and press my lips back to hers, giving her a few kisses and holding her to me tighter.
We stand like that, holding each other until the song ends, then the next, and the next until finally, I lead her to the couch. As much as I want to make love to her right now, I feel like that’s not quite what she needs from me.
I sit next to her on the couch, an arm thrown around her shoulders and our drinks in our hands.
“I missed this, too,” she says, gesturing to us sitting together on the couch. “It’s felt weird the last few weeks.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “I shouldn’t—”
