“I think we finally got it,” Mya says on Friday afternoon.
Making an executive decision, I lean over and save the presentation on her computer and then log off. “Come on. We’re getting out of here.”
“What? No, no. We have so much work to do.”
But I’m already pulling her to her feet. “We’ve done as much as we can do. Both of our campaigns are ready. We’ve practiced how to present them and done several run throughs. Now we need to get out of here because I think this chair is starting to form a permanent mold of my ass.”
Her eyes sparkle as she peers behind me playfully. “Really? Well, it is a pretty spectacular ass, I have to say.”
“Don’t let Ethan hear you say that. Otherwise you’ll be getting the sexual harassment lecture, too.”
She’s laughing at me but at least she’s moving. We’ve put in the work and done our research. I don’t think either of us is really worried about the quality of our work. There’s a certain point where you just have to trust that you’ve done all you can do and then you have to let the work stand for itself.
r /> Mya shrugs into her coat and grabs her bag from the floor by her desk. “Not sure why I feel guilty for leaving at five when we’ve been practically sleeping here this week.”
“Whenever Mr. Lavin has time in his schedule, we’ll be ready for him. That’s all that anyone can ask of us.”
Anya waves goodbye as we pass her desk and after a short elevator ride, we’ve escaped!
“Fresh air! How long has it been?” Mya spins around in a circle before collapsing against my chest with a giggle.
“Too long. I think we were both starting to get a little punch drunk after being in that building for so many hours each day. Your place?”
We’ve fallen into the routine of spending our evenings together lately too. I have to admit I do prefer my place simply because it’s bigger and I can lay her naked on any surface without worrying about a roommate interrupting or overhearing. Ariana teases us about being loud and makes a show of putting her headphones on whenever I show up now which is funny but I know Mya finds it kind of embarrassing. Her relationship with Ariana seems to be more like that of a sibling than just a roommate. When I heard Ari refer to Mya’s ex-boyfriend as the “bad-sex-ex” I knew we would be friends.
“Yeah. I need to do laundry. But maybe we can go to your place tomorrow. It’s nice to be alone.” She hooks her arm through mine as we walk over to my car.
“You just like my huge bed,” I tease. She likes to take all her clothes off and roll around in my sheets. It smells like her for days. I love it.
Twenty minutes later we’re parked outside her building. It always takes a while to find a space in her neighborhood, one of the reasons Mya doesn’t own a car. Having a car in the city is a pain and expensive but I like having the freedom to go visit my mom and my brother whenever I want. So I pay the exorbitant price for parking in my building.
“You know what, I think I’ll just change my clothes and then we can go to your place after all. After this week, I think we both need some peace and quiet.”
I nod in agreement. As much fun as Ariana can be, quiet she is not.
Mya opens the door and I follow her inside. An older woman looks up from the pot she’s stirring at the stove.
“Baby! You’re home!” The older woman bustles from behind the counter and holds her arms open to Mya. Then she turns to me, a speculative gleam in her warm brown eyes. “And who is this handsome man?”
Mya turns to me with an apologetic smile. “Mom, this is Milo. He’s my… he’s my…”
“I’m her boyfriend. It’s wonderful to meet you, Mrs. Taylor.” I extend my hand and am immediately yanked into a bone-crushing hug.
Over her mom’s shoulder, I see Mya wringing her hands and hopping from foot to foot.
Mrs. Taylor finally releases me with a soft exclamation. “Call me Martine, please. Oh, I need to turn the stew down. Mya, don’t leave that nice boy in the doorway! Invite him in. Your father will be back any minute. He went to the store to get some more milk.”
“I’m so sorry about this,” Mya whispers. “You can go if you want. I’ll catch up with you later. My parents like to drop by sometimes out of the blue.”
“Leave? You think I’m giving up this opportunity to find out more about pre-ballbuster Mya? Not a chance.” I close the door behind me and hang my coat by the door.
When I turn around Mya is watching me, her face both hopeful and wary. I don’t think she knows how easily her face expresses her emotions but honestly, I hope she never stops giving me these little glimpses into what she’s thinking and feeling.
Because I may not know where this thing between us is going but I know I haven’t had nearly enough of her yet.
Not even close.
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