I stare as she easily kicks off her Birkenstocks, pulling her bare feet under her bottom, making herself at home.
“How was your day?” I ask, pouring her a glass of wine.
“Same as every other day, it seems. How was yours?”
“Well, it was kind of shitty, if I’m honest.”
She knits her brows together, “What do you mean?”
I take the empty cushion next to her, “I don’t know. I’m just realizing lately that maybe there’s more to life than just making money.”
She scoots closer to me, “I thought you loved your job? Hanna always told everyone that you loved it.”
“I did,” I blurt, “I mean, I do. It’s just… well, I don’t know.”
She places her hand on mine when she senses that I’m pulling away, “It’s okay to feel things, even if those feelings are confusing.”
I lace my fingers with hers, “I know. I just see my dad, so happy and in love, and I remember my life with my parents, and I wonder if maybe I should’ve chosen a different path.”
Her grip on my hand tightens a little, “You’ve worked so hard to get where you are. I think you can do anything you want, even if it means starting completely over.”
I think about what she said, “I don’t know what I want to do. I just know that when I finally have a family, I don’t want to work these long hours. I want to be involved like my dad was. He never missed baseball games, not even in college.”
She hesitates for a minute but says what’s on her mind, “Hanna didn’t leave you because you had a job, Eric, or because you missed an event.”
I missed more than I wanted with Ellie, but this isn’t even really about that. It’s different.
“I know, but this isn’t really about Hanna. It’s more about me.”
It’s really about us. It is about our future. I think to myself, knowing that if I say those words to Karly, it might scare her off.
She lets go of my hand, reaching for her wine glass. Pretty much killing it in one big gulp. “Well, life is too short to spend it doing things that don’t make you happy.”
The muscle in my chest twists, and I wonder if she’s thinking about Ashton. If she might actually miss him.
“I agree. I only want to do things that make me happy. You are at the top of that list.”
That warrants a smile, “What else is on that list?”
“Lots of things, but baby, that list begins and ends with you.”
There’s a sudden twinkle in her eye that I’ve only ever seen a couple of times. It’s like she saves them for me, and trust me, I live to see it.
She wraps her leg around my torso, straddling me. Her thin yoga pants barely separate us as she presses into me.
Her lips fall delicately to mine, and she strokes my hair with her hand. Our tongues move together so softly and intimately that I feel like I’m leaving my own body. She reaches down to my waist, lifting my shirt over my head.
When she stares back down at me, it ignites this side of me that loses control around her. I stand effortlessly, with her legs still wrapped around my waist, and only make it to the kitchen table before sitting her down. I kiss her until her back meets the wood and pull away long enough to strip her out of her pants.
As soon as they’re on the floor, I take my lips to her thighs, causing her to gasp. “Eric–”
“Shhh..” I whisper, my lips never leaving the inside of her legs. “Can I kiss you here?” I ask, using my finger to rub down her clit.
She nods, still staring at me with her upper body propped up on her elbows.
“Tell me,” I demand. My mouth hovers, barely touching her.
Breathlessly, she begs, “Please, yes, I want you.”