Ming’s loft…
I looked around and the memories of last night came flooding back. I remembered it all, I hadn’t been wasted or anything, but there was no denying that the beer had loosened my tongue and given me the courage I didn’t feel when I was stone-cold sober.
My gaze landed on Ming’s bed in the corner, and I could see her face peeking out from beneath her large down comforter. She was snuggled in, almost fully underneath the covers, but I saw a glimpse of milky white skin and jet-black hair.
Throwing the blanket off and sitting up, I reached in my jeans to find my phone, stretching my neck as I cursed myself for falling asleep on the couch. I was too big for it, and Christ, sleeping in jeans sucked.
When I saw what time it was I surged to my feet and stumbled to the bathroom. After I was done relieving myself, splashing water on my face, and finger-brushing my teeth with Ming’s whitening toothpaste, I went back out into the loft and saw that she was still snoozing.
Two weeks ago I would have walked out without a backwards glance, but because that was my first instinct, I fought it. If things were going to be different, I had to go against my instinct and think about what Ming would want me to do.
So, I walked over to her bed and sat on the edge.
“Ming,” I said softly, my hand finding what I thought was her shoulder and pushing gently to try and wake her up.
She shifted, causing the blankets to slide off of her head, and I took a moment to look at her. It’s funny, but I’d never done that before, looked at her while she was asleep. She was absolutely gorgeous.
I felt something shift inside of me, something unfamiliar and painful, yet, hopeful, when her eyelashes fluttered and rich eyes struggled to focus on my face.
“Brady?”
Her tone was confused and I knew she wasn’t fully awake.
“Hey,” I replied softly, the urge to touch her great, but I stopped myself when I remembered my promise not to. “I’ve gotta go, but I didn’t want to leave without saying goodbye.”
“Oh,” she sighed, still out of it. She sat up, the blankets falling around her waist, and I grinned at the sight of her looking sleepy, her long thick hair in disarray. “Mmmm, do you need anything? Coffee?”
I smiled at her offer, but shook my head, then, I’m not sure what came over me, but I asked, “I’m going to Brock’s for breakfast, do you want to come?”
Ming blinked rapidly, her face adorably confused. When I watched her hand come up and pinch her arm, I raised my eyebrow in question.
“Just checking,” she replied dryly, and I laughed.
I knew it was totally out of character to ask, and I don’t know why I did it. I’d never taken anyone to Brock and Victoria’s before. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d seriously dated anyone, but it had definitely been in the pre-Victoria days.
But when Ming scrambled out of bed and said, “I’ll just be two minutes. Don’t disappear, and don’t change your mind,” then disappeared into the bathroom, I figured I’d made the right choice.
I wanted to do better. To make her happy and try and be a man who deserved to be with her. Even if it meant doing things I was uncomfortable with, and putting myself out there in ways that I’d probably never done before, I’d made a decision and I was going to stick to it.
It will be good for me, I thought.
I just hoped it would be good for Ming as well.
Literally two minutes later, Ming came out of the bathroom, her hair back in a messy bun, her face clear of any makeup. I was thrown for a minute when I realized she’d gotten dressed, then I remembered that her closet was off the bathroom.
“Ready?” she asked, her smile wide, conveying just how much my invitation had pleased her, and I once again felt like a tremendous ass for the way I’d been with her.
“Yup,” I replied, suddenly nervous.
Am I jumping into the deep end too quickly? I wondered, but when she tucked her small hand in mine and tugged me toward the door, I decided to let things ride and see what happened.
Once we got outside, I realized I didn’t have my car. Ming laughed and said that since she was meeting Natalie in the early afternoon, it would be good for her to have her car anyway. I lived close enough to Brock, that I could walk home after breakfast.
This meant I had to call Brock on the way, with Ming right next to me, to give him a heads up.
“Come again?” he asked when I told him we were on our way for breakfast, then clarified, “You and Ming, together?”
“Yup,” I said, then lowered my voice and requested, “Don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”