His & Hers

by Francheska Fifield

  That was easy and she is still licking my neck and being distracting. She has added rubbing her hands up and down my chest under my shirt.

  “When the guys come over…” I don’t want to talk about other guys when she is doing this, but I have no idea how to act while they are here.

  “If you want me to go out on Friday nights with the girls so it’s not awkward I can.”

  Her in tight pants dancing at the club…no way.

  “You can still be here. It’s just being like this might make them…”

  Ohh, she is rubbing me through my pants now. Holy shit, I don’t care what the guys think. Or if they ever come over again.

  “Uncomfortable?”

  I can only nod and pant as she finishes my sentence for me.

  “Okay so we won’t do more than we used to. I promise nothing more than a quick peck on the cheek occasionally. We should probably get our hormones out of the way before Friday.”

  I lift her up carrying her into her room and kick the door shut behind us. I strip her very quickly and we work on getting our hormones out for quite awhile.

  “You really should have let me finish before starting. It’s rude to interrupt someone when they are talking.”

  She rolls her eyes and laughs as I run my hand through her hair.

  “You seemed to mind so much. I didn’t hear you asking me to stop. You could have said to and I would have.”

  I roll my eyes. Who would be that insane? “I liked what you were doing way too much.”

  She smiles and kisses me and pulls a blanket up over us. We are lying in bed naked and cooling off. The fall is making things cooler than normal, but we haven’t started using the heat yet because so far it hasn’t dipped that low. It is getting to be that time now though. Damn living in northern California. I snuggle closer to her and kiss her bare shoulder as she rolls onto her side her back to me.

  “Mmmm. This is comfortable.”

  I nod and press against her enjoying that she is comfortable enough with me to do this.

  “Will I promise to make dinner, but first I need a nap.”

  I chuckle and kiss her cheek. “We can nap and then go to a movie and dinner. It’ll be our first official date.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I start to push back the blanket to get up when she grabs my arm and pulls me back down.

  “Stay with me until I fall asleep at least.”

  I lie back down and wrap my arms around her.

  “Gladly.”

  I wake up when it is dark. I look at the clock on the night stand 8 pm. Our movie choices will be limited by the time we are up and showered. I sit up and look down at Trisha. She is still asleep.

  I don’t think we will be able to do a movie now. Oh well maybe tomorrow. Sundays are the days we pretty much hung out together before so the only difference now will be we are a couple instead of friends hanging out. Seems like such a small thing until I think about it. The thought terrifies me so I decide to get up and shower. Getting a reservation anywhere will be impossible this late anyway.

  I grab my clothes go to my room and text Bobbi quickly before jumping into the shower and changing into clean clothes. Bobbi arrives shortly after. I am keeping watch for him so we won’t wake Trisha.

  “So I take it things continued to go well after getting home?”

  Bobbi drove us home and refused to let us put up the window between the seats to give us privacy. So he saw us be all kissy faces in the back and felt the need to comment the whole time. Trisha hadn’t been bothered and laughed at my blush more than once.

  “Yes it did thanks for asking. Now go away.”

  “What a way to thank a friend for doing you a favor.”

  He hands me the bags of candles, flowers, and the bag of food. The Italian restaurant around here does take out and Trisha has gone a few times with various friends and always mentions what she tried and what she liked and didn’t. It made it easy to order food for her. I just ordered everything I remembered her mentioning she likes.

  I set up the candles and light them. All vanilla scented because I want something she likes, but that is relaxing and not overly fragrant. I take the roses out of their wrappings and put water in their vase. I set the food up on the island and move all the stools but two. I hear movement in her room so I try to hurry. I set out the sparkling grape juice I had Bobbi get. She doesn’t want to ever drink alcohol again and I am in the same boat.

  “Will?”

  I turn as I finish grabbing one of the roses and going over to her. She is wearing PJs. She is so damn cute in them.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We got up to late for a movie and dinner so I decided to bring our dinner date to you.”

  I step aside so she can see the food laid out and all the flowers and candles.

  “We can eat here at the island or bring everything into the living room, set it up on the coffee table and you can pick something to watch on TV.”

  She just stares at everything. Oh crap have I done something wrong. Maybe she doesn’t want Italian. Maybe the food and candle smells don’t mix well. I hadn’t thought of that before.

  “You did all this for me?”

  I nod and she smiles coming over and hugging me. I hug her back and smile. She likes it.

  “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

  “It’s not a big deal. I just felt bad we had slept through our date.”

  “I think it’s fantastic. Let’s eat out here and then have dessert in the living room with a movie.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I go over and pull her stool out. She smiles, sits, and puts some of everything on her plate. I grab some manicotti before she can get it all and start munching.

  “It’s really sweet of you to do this Will. You don’t have to you know. Just because we are dating. You don’t have to do anything different.”

  I stopped eating and looked her in the eye. “Trisha I don’t want it to be exactly the same as when we were just friends. I don’t want you to think I'm only doing this because I wanted to add the physical aspect to our relationship. I want to be with you and you deserve to be treated like this. I want to do it. I want us to be dating and do all the things couples do. We can still hang out and game or watch anime but that doesn’t mean we can’t do couple stuff to.”

  She is silent for a moment before smiling at me.

  “Even going to see chick flicks?”

  I laugh and nod. “Yes even that. I don’t promise it’ll be my favorite thing to do with you but I still want to do it.”

  She blushes lightly, leans over and quickly kisses me before going back to her food and asking what I want to watch with dessert. We argue over whether an action movie or anime is appropriate for a date night and in the end it doesn’t really matter to either of us. We watch a cheesy girly movie because I insist it is appropriate and then she puts on an action movie because she has been waiting for it to come out so she can see it. All in all it is the best date I have ever been on.

  When we are putting the food away and cleaning up getting ready for bed she keeps glancing at me and blushing. I’m not going to ask her to let me stay with her tonight. I don’t want to push it. I don’t know how she feels about it. I want to, I have always wanted to fall asleep with her in my arms and wake up exactly the same way the next morning. When she goes to her room I follow until I get to her door. I kiss her goodnight and stand back turning in the direction of my room.

  “You don’t want to stay?”

  I pause and almost stop breathing. “You want me to?”

  She won’t look at me, but she is blushing and does a half shrug, half nod.

  “If you want to.”

  I smile and lift her face so I can kiss her.

  “If you want me to I would love to.”

  She smiles, grabs my hand and pulls me into her room where we lay down and go to sleep, her head on my chest and an arm and leg thrown over me. My arms are wrap
ped around her and I have to force myself to sleep. I don’t want to miss a second of this. It doesn’t take long for me to become exhausted and succumb to sleep.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning us the day we usually spend together anyway. I’m not in any hurry to move though. I am perfectly fine with lying in bed naked all day. Usually she wakes before me, but this morning I feel movement and wake first. When I see her cuddling against my side in her sleep all I can do is hug her closer and smile like a fool. How soon is too soon to tell someone you love them? I might have mumbled it during sex, but she could just think I said it in the heat of the moment. I want to say it, have wanted to for months now, but even I’m not dumb enough to say it yet.

  “These next few months had better hurry up and go by so I can say it to you though.”

  I whisper so I won’t wake her and kiss her forehead. I am hungry, but I would willingly starve for a few hours in exchange for this. It is all my dreams come true. I really have to call Tommy. He is supposed to be the relationship expert. He’s had so many. I don’t think he knows a damn thing about love though which means I am on my own.

  “Say what?”

  I tense and force myself to relax. “You’re awake?”

  She nods and looks up at me only half awake.

  “What were we talking about while I was asleep? I heard ‘say it’ that’s all. Sorry.”

  I kiss her smiling. “That’s okay. We can have a do over conversation after breakfast.”

  She nods and stretches every part of her rubbing some part of me. The most blissful torture in the world.

  “What do you want for breakfast?”

  I almost shrug. She will give me a look if I do; the one that says how much she hates indecision.

  “We could go out for breakfast if you would like.”

  “Shower. Then breakfast.”

  Is she always this out of it in the mornings? I never see her before she has showered and is cooking breakfast so I’m not sure. Hopefully the alcohol hasn’t burned so many brain cells that she is permanently stuck with one word answers.

  “Okay. I’ll take my clothes to my room and shower.”

  She nods and stumbles into the bathroom closing the door behind her. I grab my things and am glad she hasn’t gotten up yet. She will have opened the curtains. I am equally glad I didn’t tell her to take them back once noticing them. I hadn’t really understood the need for them when she got them. Now I do.

  I shouldn’t have worried she was permanently brain damaged. Once out of the shower she is bouncy and more excited than I have ever seen her. She tugs me along to a diner where we eat and she talks. I am content to just listen to her voice and stare at her ,but she does manage to stir me from my musing occasionally throughout the day as we go around doing all kinds of couple oriented stuff. I’m not looking forward to tomorrow.

  By the end of the day I am worn out. After dinner and dessert we hang out on the couch cuddling. I don’t want to sleep in my room, but she gets up an hour or so earlier than me to cook and I am a light sleeper.

  It doesn’t end up mattering though. Halfway through the movie we start making out and one thing leads to another. A couple hours later we both fell into an exhausted sleep in her bed.

  I wake up Monday morning not because of an alarm, which is my usual wake up, but to someone kissing me and whispering in my ear. I open my eyes and find Trish dressed and smelling slightly of bacon smiling down at me.

  “Hey.”

  “Breakfast time sleepy head.”

  She walks out into the living room area after a quick kiss. I stretch and pull on my clothes from yesterday. When I walk out breakfast is all ready.

  “So Bobbi and I are going to the Y today I’ll make sure to have my cell with me in case you need anything.”

  That is fairly standard.

  “Sorry ahead of time for any mushy girly sentiments I text your way during the day.”

  She smiles and shrugs.

  I smile back. “I don’t mind.”

  She laughs and starts eating.

  “That’s good.”

  Who would mind? I’ve never understood guys having a problem with affection. If girls want to tell you or show you how much they love you shut up and let them.

  "Have a good day in your work cave."

  I give her a kiss and slowly walk away. This is the worst part. Now I have her and I still have to work. Damn. I hear her putting things away and then running out the door. Well back to work I go.

  Bobbi texted me while they were gone. I assume Trish is either in a class or showering because it is quick and to the point…Bobbi generally is.

  Ask her to marry you already dude.

  Is he cracked? We just started dating and haven't even said I love you yet. I text him so and his response shocks me a bit.

  Then tell her and ask. Trust me she will say yes.

  I’m not sure if I should believe him, but Bobbi has taken it upon himself to help me with things like this since Trish came into my life. Has he seriously asked her about marrying me? That is going a bit too far. I will have to kill him later. Still, it bares thinking about. Could I find a ring that suits her though? She is so special I can’t imagine there would be a ring to match her. I will look…later…after work. Yes, focus on work.

  I step out of the taxi and look at the giant house. I so do not want to be here. Still, I march up the steps; I know I look on the verge of facing a firing squad and considering how I feel that is not unusual. I ring the doorbell and wait only a few seconds before a maid opened the door.

  "Are my parents in residence?"

  She nods and leads me into the dining room. I purposely came during dinner to ensure they would both be home. I sit down, not waiting for them to ask what I want.

  "I need grandma's ring."

  "Why would you need that William?"

  Ah my mother is ever so great at asking pointed questions she already knows the answer to but doesn’t want to admit.

  "I am asking Trish to marry me. Grandma wanted me to use her ring. It's special. She and grandpa were very happy. So I have come for it."

  I didn't want to do this, but everything I said is true. It is special. She and grandpa were a love match and the ring is the symbol of that. She has always told me to marry for love not status as my parents had. So she refused to give my parents her ring and promised me it was mine if I found a girl I loved more than anything.

  "You didn’t give it to Marabelle."

  "I didn’t love her and grandma made me promise not to give it to anyone that I didn’t love. That is why she wouldn’t pass it on to you two after all."

  I know antagonizing them won’t help, but it is true and I hate lying. It’s the only thing that happens in this house.

  "No."

  I glare at my father. "I have a notarized letter from her saying I get it if I am to propose and ask for it. I could sue you for not handing it over and I will. How will that look father? If I sue my own family. It will most definitely make the papers. You will be cast as swindlers while I am the Robin Hood trying to propose to the girl I love with the ring my grandmother wished my fiancée to have."

  He rises and leaves the table. Mother sighs and tries to keep her face from frowning. She doesn’t want the extra wrinkles.

  "Are you sure this is the way you want your life to be? Living in a rented house, working day in and day out, a writer housewife. It's so…simple."

  I shrug and smile thinking about it. "I am sure we will buy a house someday. I know it's simple and ordinary, but neither you nor father ever stopped to think about how that’s exactly what I want. I do not understand how you cannot understand that I do not want your life. I am not working day in and day out. I am doing what I love. I can travel when I want and take work with me. I have control over my schedule. I can live wherever I like. I am not at the whim of a board of directors. Most importantly, with this decision I get to be with someone the loves me not my money. You and father never
cared about one another and I know you have both had lovers. Sis and I both knew. I hate that life. Everything about it. I am not you, either of you. I don’t want to be."

  Father sits down and tosses me the box that holds the ring. I open it to make sure he is giving me the right one. It is; a beautiful gold band with a heart-shaped diamond surrounded by solitaire rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Beautiful, just like gram was and just like Trish is.

  I know father heard what I said about us all knowing about their affairs. Even if they know the other is doing it they pretended it never happened. Will they admit it now? Will they talk about it? Or will they pretend I never said a thing? Either way it is not my problem.

  "Thank you." I get up to leave, but stop before exiting the room. "Keep in mind when Trish and I have kids I will not expose them to this toxic atmosphere. So choose what will be more important. Your lies and pretend lives or meeting your grandkids."

  I allow them no time to respond, but hightail it out of there. The cab waited for me; thank goodness I don’t want to wait for another to arrive to take me home.

  I enter quietly, tip toeing into Trish's room I put her glasses in her case, she forgot, and move it to the dresser. On her night stand I leave the ring box. I lie down, and snuggle under the covers with her. Morning will be especially interesting.

  I wake to the alarm. I hate alarms. I feel Trisha stir and feel around for her glasses. I open my eyes, but stay still excited to see her response before she knows I am awake.

  "No glasses….what's this?"

  She turns to me eyes popping out of her head. I can barely hold in my laughter.

  "Like it?"

  "Of course. Who wouldn’t? But Will….we just started dating and…"

  I shake my head and stop her right there with a kiss.

  "I love you. I have since the moment we first talked and it’s only gotten better from there. You can say it's too soon and we should wait and I will pack it away for a bit. But only say it if you mean it. I spent my whole life holding back and this is far too important to care what others will think of us. So Trisha, will you marry me?"