“Anything you can name. It was all a recipe for disaster. I have Daniel closing tonight. I want one night with you without my phone ringing or work interfering,” he tells me as he sets his plate down.
I look down at his plate and see he’s already devoured his pizza. He must have been hungry. I’m on my second slice when I hand him the remote.
“I don’t have cable, but I have Netflix. Feel free to find something to watch,” I tell him as I go back to eating my pizza.
I watch his arms flex and move. I can barely keep my eyes off of his movements. He lands on a movie and we settle into comfortable silence. I burrow into his side and he holds me. I feel my eyes close and darkness takes over.
12
Evan
I feel Harlow’s body go lax and I know she’s asleep. I’m thankful she turned the lights off on her way to the couch and the only light she has is on my side of the couch. I click it off and slowly move us to where we’re both laying down on the couch. Her couch is deep and comfortable and I’m glad we sat here instead of the table. Having Harlow in my arms all night is like a slice of paradise. My back is to the couch and she’s on the outside laying on her side with me on my back. Her leg hitches up to my thigh and my hand drifts to her leg. She’s wearing a pair of cotton draw string shorts and a v-neck tee. My fingertips graze up and down her skin, she moans in her sleep and snuggles deeper into my side.
I should be exhausted, but my mind is reeling from today’s events and how I’m going to be able to keep our relationship away from the other employees. Harlow is stronger than she gives herself credit for.
Sure I’m thirty-six, and have my shit together. But she’s twenty-one and busting her ass at work and still stays so humble as if there’s nothing she can’t get through. Even on her down days she muddles through.
I squeeze her tighter unaware of her waking up until she says, “I guess I fell asleep on you.”
“You won’t hear me complaining,” I whisper huskily into the dark room. I turned the television off when I settled us on the couch.
“Still, I’m sorry. I guess we should get up now,”
“Nah, let’s just stay here for the time being,” I respond.
Instead of staying where she is, Harlow wakes up and holds her hand out for me. I’m bummed that she’s ready to call it a night.
I hold her hand as I get up from the couch, but to my surprise she doesn’t lead me to the door. Harlow leads me down the hall to her bedroom. I take it in, as she turns on the bedside light with the flip of a switch by the doorway.
Her bedroom is in the same muted tone of the rest of the house. This room though, it defines Harlow. It’s grey with splashes of coral in her accents. The bed is a king size bed and fuck am I grateful. She puts all the extra pillows on the bay window seat that’s in her room and turns around to turn the bed down. She’s silent and yawning at the same time. I want Harlow with every depth of my being, but I don’t want to rush her. When she crawls on what I assume is her side of the bed she says, “Are you coming to bed?”
I take my tee shirt off, I took my shoes off when I entered her house which leaves me in a pair of mesh gym shorts. I crawl in bed, my arms wrapping around Harlow so we’re spooning. Her ass wiggles back into my dick and I’m only so strong, “’Lo, Baby. You keep moving like that. This may go faster than you’re ready for.”
She quits moving around, and then settles into me. I turn the light off and hold her as she slowly falls asleep.
13
Harlow
I took a chance, no I took a leap of faith. Evan stayed with me last night and throughout the whole weekend, besides Saturday where we both had to work. Him, his usual eight hours and me pulling a double shift. I was dead on my feet come Saturday evening when Evan met me at my house. My one and only day off being Sunday. It was worth it to work a double today.
I let Evan in as I unlock the door. He goes into the kitchen unpacking dinner from the corner diner. I’m walking down the hallway as I call out, “I’m taking a shower. I’ll be out in just a few minutes.”
“Take your time Baby,” I hear Evan say, but I’m too busy stripping out of my clothes and turning the water on. I want the sweat and grime off of me today. I step into the shower and wash my body and hair. I shaved yesterday, so that was one task I had already completed.