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His stubble tickles my skin, and I rub against him.
“Ah, morning,” I say, my voice coming out low and breathy.
His hands grip my hips, and he tugs me against him. I can feel his erection digging into my stomach, and I gasp at the size and hardness that I feel.
“I… uh, I’m feeling better,” I blurt, and Townes freezes against me.
I can feel his eyelashes brush against my neck as he blinks, seeming to wake up more. Then he clears his throat and pulls away from me slightly.
“That’s good.”
He sits up, and I scramble to sit up too. Then I stand and clear my throat.
“Thanks for taking care of me yesterday,” I tell him, feeling shy all of a sudden.
“Anytime. I’ll get out of your hair, but you should take it easy today,” he says, and I nod.
I walk him over to the door and smile as he pauses.
“You know, if you really want to thank me, you could go out to dinner with me tonight.”
I blink, freezing. I’m not sure how to respond. On the one hand, I want to go out with him, but is that a good idea? I’m still trying to figure out who I am, still trying to find my freedom and my place in this world. Townes could mess all of that up.
“I have work tonight at Wet and Wild,” I tell him, and he nods.
“We’ll go out tomorrow then.”
I’m a little surprised that he’s pushing this. He hasn’t made a move on me in the months that I’ve known him. I wonder what’s changed in the last twenty-four hours. Maybe he’s just finally worked up the nerve to ask me out. Maybe this is the first opening that he’s had with me.
“Alright,” I say, trying to hide the excitement that I feel about going out on my very first date.
I never had the chance to date in high school, and once I moved out of my mom’s house, I was too busy trying to survive and make ends meet to think about dating. Besides, I wanted to be alone. I wanted to explore and finally live my life. It’s not like any guys were asking me out anyway.
“Tomorrow then. I’ll pick you up at six.”
I nod, not trusting my voice at that moment, and he smiles and then heads down the stairs. I watch him go and then turn back to my empty apartment. At some point last night, he did the dishes, and they’re drying in the rack by the sink. My medicine and Kleenex and everything else that he bought for me are on the counter by my bedroom.
I head into the bedroom and then into the shower, washing off the sleep and sickness from my skin. I think about Townes, about how he surprised me by showing up yesterday.
Maybe it should have though. He’s consistently been there for me, and I’ve never once asked him to be there for me. He’s a good guy, someone that I trust. I would say that we’re almost friends.
I just hope that tomorrow's date doesn’t mess all of that up.
I finish my shower and get ready to go to work. I overslept this morning, and I need to be at the bookstore in an hour. I still need breakfast, so I head over to the Nosh Diner and grab a breakfast sandwich and coffee to go.
I pass by Xavier as I leave, and he smiles slightly at me as he holds the door open for me.
“Thanks,” I say, and he just grunts in response.
I can see why the two of them are best friends. They’re so alike. He must be grabbing them a late breakfast or something. Xavier and Townes own their own consulting firm. They work in cyber security, and from what I’ve heard, they spend a lot of time staring at computer screens.
I hurry down the block and into Shelf Indulgence, waving at Saffron and her sister, Ginger, as I set my things down behind the front counter.
“Hey! How are you feeling?” Saffron asks me.
“A lot better. I was just kind of cold and run down yesterday, so it wasn’t too serious.”
“Good,” Ginger says, sounding relieved.
