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They look at each other and shrug, sharing a nod.
The second guy turns back to me. “What was the address, sir?”
We go out together. I wait for him to walk up to Blake’s building before continuing on my way north.
At home, I go straight to bed, but I don’t fall asleep. I miss her. Watching TV seems pointless if I can’t make silly comments with her, or come up with the wildest guesses as to where the plot is going—Blake contrives the most improbable scenarios and it’s ridiculous how many times she gets it right despite her farfetched hypotheses. Guess I just don’t have the imagination.
Next, I try to catch up with some reading but lack the concentration.
I turn the TV on again, shuffle a million channels, then turn it off again.
Three hours later, I’m still staring at the ceiling of my bedroom, not tired enough to pass out but too tired to do anything else. I feel completely despondent for no real reason.
You know the reason, a little voice whispers in my head. You’re sulking because she hasn’t admitted she loves you.
A rough pounding at my door distracts me from my woes.
I go to open it and there she is. Still dressed in the same oversized creamy sweater from before, a smudge of chocolate at the corner of her mouth, and her hair a complete mess.
“Couldn’t stay away?” I ask teasingly.
She stares at me with a dazed look in her eyes, saying nothing.
“Is everything okay, are you—”
“I love you,” she bursts out. Then, taking a deep breath, she steps forward and cups my cheek. “I love you,” she repeats more calmly.
I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her into me. I nuzzle her neck and whisper in her ear, “It was all the chocolate, wasn’t it?”
Her body shakes with laughter, but she pulls back to stare at me. “No, it was all you. You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met. You’re sweet and considerate, goofy in a way I never expected, with a side of geek that I adore, and a completely hopeless romantic, but not in a cheesy way. You’re strong enough to put up with my messy life and all my insecurities. You’re patient. And you kiss like a god. I love you.”
We hug again, our bodies pressed flush against each other.
“I love you, too.”
I scoop her up in my arms and bring her to my bedroom.
She changes into one of my T-shirts—no matter how many PJs Mila has bought for her, Blake always steals my clothes to sleep in—and scoots under the covers with me.
“I’m glad you came,” I say, brushing the hair away from her forehead.
She gives me a cheeky smile. “Don’t get a big head now. I’m here only because I was missing Latte.” She picks him up from his corner of the bed and cuddles him in her arms.
My cat purrs at once, and I don’t blame him.
“Only reason I got him,” I say, also scratching him behind the ear. “He’s a ladies’ magnet.”
“Yes, he is,” Blake agrees, stroking him. “Same as his human.”
“Humans,” I correct. “He has two now.”
She lays Latte carefully on the bed and hugs me again, her hair tickling my face. “I love you.”
We kiss, a long, sweet kiss full of promises for the future. For once, it’s not sexual. It’s on a deeper level. I don’t try to take her clothes off. I simply pull her closer and close my eyes.
With Blake in my arms, I conk out in two seconds straight.
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