“Not for you,” she clips. “They’re for a fundraiser at the animal shelter I’m volunteering at.”
“Ah.” I shrug, undo and redo my towel tighter, giving her a flash of hipbones and possibly more than that, watching her eyes fill with horror. Despite this happening, she doesn’t look away. I watch a swallow move down her throat.
“Guess I’ll run out and get some coffees. I’ll bring you back another. How do you take it? Tastes like black, three sugars.”
“Don’t bother. I’m going out as soon as these are ready.”
“Oh yeah?” I ask.
“Yeah,” she says, injecting bitchiness into her voice, “The fundraiser. It’s for an operation for a kitty cat that’s very sick.”
“How much cash you tryin’ to raise?”
“Three hundred more dollars. I’m bringing forty-eight cupcakes so that should almost do it if I charge $4 a piece and have a “Tip the kitty” jar for extra donations. I’ll cover the rest.” She angrily mixes whatever is in her bowl, not making eye contact.
I head down the hall and grab my wallet.
“There.” I flip through my wallet and then drop two one-hundred-dollar bills and five twenties on the counter.
She frowns.
“I just bought forty-eight cupcakes. Leave ‘em. I’ll take them to my family. They’ll devour them.”
Her face goes beet red and she doesn’t look away. Doesn’t blink.
“Now I’ve got to make that many more,” she complains. “ I promised the other volunteers. They’re planning to buy some.”
“Okay, so give me half. Take the other half. Keep all the money.”
She huffs. ”Fine. I’ll get you a tax receipt.”
“You gonna be back around dinner?” I ask, reaching for her chin and grazing the underside with my index finger.
She jerks back. “Why?”
“I’ll make something. Pick up some of Baka’s wine and bread to bring back.”
“You don’t need to make me dinner. In fact, don’t.”
“Why? You gotta eat.”
Her expression brightens.
“I will be eating. I happen to have a date.”
“Really,” I say instead of ask.
“Really.”
She’s bullshitting me.
“Cancel it. We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“About our bet,” I say.
“Why?” Her eyes widen with horror.
“Be here at dinner and we’ll talk about it then. I’ll cook.”
“If you have something to say to me, say it.”
“I have something to say, but I’ll be saying it tonight over my stuffed mushrooms, my famous risotto, that wine you like, and Baka’s fresh bread.”
“This is ridiculous. I mean, look at you… you can get other dates. You don’t need to play this game with me.”
“Look at me?” I smile. “Do you like the way I look?”
“Duh. You obviously know that women like the way you look.”
I shrug, but can’t help but grin.
“So what’s this all about, really?”
I move in. She backs up.
“There was chemistry that night with us. That first night. You can’t deny that.”
“I don’t.” She holds onto the counter on either side of her with both hands.
“And then that first date… you spooked easily.”
“I got sick and-”
“You got spooked. That’s why I decided to keep at you, see what was what. At first I wasn’t sure if it was a cat ‘n mouse game of chase you wanted or if there was really somethin’ up.”
Her face changes briefly and I get the distinct impression she likes the idea of cat ‘n mouse games.
“Then there was all the game playin’ and it wasn’t fun. Woulda told a guy in my position to run a mile the other way. But something nagged at me from the first date. Didn’t know if I’d misread things or if something changed, so I paid attention. And the attention paid off because it was clear you were spooked. Gave you time and space and you got more freaked every time you saw me. Had to straight-up ask you what was up. So you’re seein’ someone. Wait… no, you’re hung up on someone nobody’s ever heard a word about. Or wait... you want a booty call for one night only. Figured I’d come and get my fill and move on, but then when you opened that fuckin’ door and I saw the way you looked at me. I was back to thinkin’ like I thought the first night. Until you opened your mouth and did every fuckin’ thing you could do to set boundaries and rules. I don’t like boundaries and I like to make the rules. But with you… something has been off since the start. And now I’m getting closer to what it is. Unfortunately, I’ve had to take matters into my own hands. And the more we move forward, the more I know that if I get to the bottom of this, it’s gonna help you and maybe it’ll mean the two of us move forward with the same goal, maybe not, I just know I need to know what the fuck is happening so I can help you with it.”
She chews her cheek. She’s looking at me like I’m the man for her, that way she does when she’s listening to me talk. Like she could just listen to me endlessly, like she never wants to stop being the focus of my attention. And fuck, I wanna take her in that stupid outfit and knock everything off this kitchen counter and fuck her on it.