ME:Wow, thank you. I owe you.
Nat:Nah, say no more. It's what friends do. I'm getting in my car now. I'll be there soon. Do I need to do anything when I get there? You live in that nice building, after all.
ME:I'll let them know to send you up. 18B.
Nat:Sweet. See you soon.
Deciding I should probably put something on over my undergarments, I slipped on a silk robe and decided to make some coffee. It had been a long night with Wells. Despite knowing his name now, part of me still wanted to call him Surly. It suited him so well after all. Then the day had been emotionally exhausting with Jude and my surprise lunch companions.
My age was going to kick my butt tonight if I didn't do something. Hopefully, the coffee would help wake me up and give me a caffeine boost. Calling down to the front, I let them know I'd be expecting a visitor as I waited for my energy boost. Just as the coffee finished, there was a knock at my door. Assuming it was Nat, I opened the door without checking the peephole.
"Uh, hey?"
A confused but slightly heated look met me as I opened the door to Wells and not Nat.
"Oh, hey. Do you need something?"
Pulling my robe tighter, I tried to conceal my bra that was peeking through the slit. Wells stood silent for a moment, his jaw slightly open, as he looked me over from head to toe with his unwavering gaze. When he looked back into my eyes, the want was no longer present, locked behind his guardedness as he stared at me as if I'd just insulted him.
"You knocked on my door, Surly. So what do you want?" Even though he'd knocked on my door, I shifted on my feet as I waited for him to explain.
"Yeah, well, you answered it looking like that, and I can only guess what it means," he huffed, annoyed.
"What?" Shock radiated through me, not liking what he was implying. Pulling some of the fire I often felt at the gym, I gave it back just as good. "You know what? We're not in Windy City, and this isn't your territory. It's mine. So, I'm not going to play these mind games with you today. Either tell me why you knocked on my door, or I'm shutting it in your face."
Surly didn't like that answer, and I could practically hear him clenching his jaw as he ground his teeth. Ha! Good. Surly needed to understand that not everything was about him. He always acted as if I went out of my way to offend him. Get a clue, dude. I was barely keeping my head above water most days.
He took a few deep breaths, and the therapist part of me wanted to congratulate him on regulating his emotions for once, but I was afraid it would come across as more snark than encouragement at this point, so I decided to reign it in.
"I just wanted," he cleared his throat, "to thank you," he gritted out, "for helping last night."
"Wow, that was really hard for you, wasn't it?" I teased, taking too much pleasure in his discomfort. "You're welcome."
I watched as he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "That's all."
"Okay."
We stood awkwardly staring at one another, a million thoughts hanging in the air between us. It was almost a dare to see if either of us would move. As much as he pissed me off most days, I couldn't deny the sexual chemistry between us. The ding of the elevator broke our trance, and I glanced at it to see Nat walking toward me, a few garment bags draped over her arms.
When she saw me, a smile crossed her face and when she spotted the angry hot guy, her eyes raised in a question I wasn't sure how to answer. Wells finally seemed to find his feet, turned abruptly and stalked off, leaving me standing there waiting for Nat.
"Hi," she chirped as they passed, his only response to her was a grunt of acknowledgement. She smiled wide, and moved her eyebrows up and down at me as she continued down the hallway. I stepped back as she made it to my door so she could enter.
"So… that looked intense."
"Oh yeah, you could say that. It's complicated."
"Uh-huh. I find most things that are complicated really aren't all that complicated. You want to fuck each other. Sounds pretty simple to me," she teased.
My cheeks heated at her words, not denying her statement but felt the need to protect my image.
"Yeah, well, there's no denying that it's there," I disclosed, shutting the door and following her into the apartment as I continued, "but he's such an ass most of the time that I mostly want to punch him. He's just so hot," I groaned, sitting on the back of the couch. "And then, he opens his mouth and ruins it!"
"Damn girl, you don't hold your punches. I like it," she laughed. "Though, you answered the door looking like sex on a stick." She gestured at me. "I'm surprised he was able to walk away with the third leg he was rocking." Nat moved her hands to emphasize what she meant.
My face was entirely red now as I tried to dismiss her statement. I'd felt it rubbing up against my ass a week ago, and it definitely could pass as a third leg. Stuttering out, I tried to defend my state of undress for the second time.
"I thought it was you when I answered. I didn't intentionally try to tease him. You sound as bad as Mr. Surly."