Tonight, Not Again

Adrienne left soon after we finished eating. She insisted, in great haste, that she had important errands to run and people to see, but I suspected she just didn’t want to be there if Rob and I decided to have sex. After our chat, she had become a completely different person. Rob actually asked me if I traded her in somewhere.

“So tell me about this ex of yours.” Rob looked up at me from his task. He’d offered to dry the dishes for me. We’d been at it for at least fifteen minutes—thirty if you include the minor splash-fest we’d gotten into.
“What?” I knew I hadn’t misunderstood anything he had said, but I didn’t see that one coming. And I wasn’t even sure I wanted to talk about it.
We’d talked about everything from the difference between cerulean and “just regular” blue, to the five key points that made Kings of Leon the best band of our generation. But we had never discussed anything more personal than the names of our family members.
“Well?” He knew that I’d gotten all he’d asked.

I looked out the bay window and sighed. The moon hit the ocean just right, sending everything else into a far away place. The not-so-distant lights from the Santa Monica Pier sparkled. The first date I ever had with Brett was at the Pier. He’d kissed me on the cheek when we got to the top of the Ferris wheel and I thought he was perfect.
“We were together for three years and I walked in on him with…other women.” I grimaced as I said it slowly, picturing it all.
“What? Women, as in plural?” I held up two fingers and Rob shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I wish I was.” I picked up a plate and began scrubbing furiously.
“And this was…?”
“The day before I met you.” His eyes widened a little with sympathy and he scratched the back of his neck.
“So…are you over him?” Rob made a face as he spoke.
“Eh, yeah. I mean, I want to be. But it’s more than just getting over him.” I sighed and looked away.
Tears stung the corners of my eyes but I couldn’t let Rob see them. I’d said this to myself a hundred times over, but hearing it out loud was entirely different. It sounded pathetic.
“You’re getting over the fact that you were cheated on, right?” I felt Rob take the plate from my still-scrubbing hands. I felt his fingers linger against mine, but I just sighed and watched him rinse the plate

“Yeah…yes.” I straightened up and cleared my throat. That was exactly what I’d been feeling. “Am I that transparent?”
“I’m doing the same thing.” As Rob admitted his truth, he quickly looked out to the ocean as if he were trying to hide something too.
“Now you’re kidding.”
“Nope.” Rob kept his focus on the waves while he answered. I wanted to say something but instead I tapped my fingers against the counter. It wasn’t really my place to pry.

And it scared me how much I was bothered by that, how much I wanted to hear how he’d been hurt and make it better.

“Your girlfriend cheated on you?”
“Yeah.” There wasn’t a trace of emotion in his tone or his face. “I mean, Kate and I weren’t together very long, but it was kind of a surprise.”
“Want to talk about it?” I already knew the answer.
“Nope.” A soft grin broke out across his lips and he tucked a flyaway strand of hair behind my ear. “But thanks for the offer.”
“Oh yeah, sure.” I couldn’t help but shoot back a smile—his was just so infectious. “What else would I be here for?” I cringed. “Other than the fact that I do indeed live here.”

Rob and I held one another’s gaze for a bit. His eyes casually drifted to my lips, as I’m sure my eyes were doing to his. I did really want to kiss him. It was becoming a natural instinct.

“What are you thinking about?” He looked at me curiously, chuckling.
“Hmm?” I returned from the haze I had gotten lost in.
“What are you thinking about? You’re biting your lip and you’ve got this look of desperation on your face, like you’re debating whether or not should eat that last slice of pizza or give it to somebody else.”
“Pizza?” My head dropped back into a laugh—if only he knew.
“Well, you know, or something else important.”

Rob dropped his hands in front me, his fingers lacing with mine. I knew what would happen next. I could feel in the way my blood began to thump through my veins. This had never happened before. He had never stared at me with anything other than lust, but this was different. I looked down at our hands and took a deep breath. I needed to catch me balance.
It had been one month before Brett and I began the touchy-feely sort of stuff, four months before we slept together. I didn’t even know Rob’s middle name (though I’m sure I could always find it online). But that was the point here, wasn’t it? Rob and I weren’t dating—this was my fling.
When I looked up, Rob was watching me. It took all of two seconds before his lips collided with mine and his hands gathered up bunches of my hair. He pressed me hard against the countertop but all I could feel was the need to be closer to him. I’d never been kissed like that.

…

I stood in front the mirror in my bedroom, examining my new hairstyle. My auburn hair was as disheveled as someone’s who had just driven through a tornado in a convertible. It slightly resembled Rob’s unkempt mess and I wondered if sex was how it always got that way.
When I heard the bathroom door open, I jumped back and clutched the sheets around my chest. Rob stepped out, scratching the back of his neck. When our eyes met, I felt the panicking begin. What did we do, whip out the Scrabble board and play a few rounds? All the other times we just feel asleep, but it was only ten thirty. I shuffled around the room, looking for my clothes. Rob already had put his t-shirt and boxers back on, but he seemed hesitant toward dressing any further. I heard him go back into the bathroom and blow his nose. While I was a ball of knots, Rob seemed completely at ease.

Sort of like he did this all the time.

“So, um. I’m starving,” My voice rose a decibel higher than usual as I called out to him. He appeared in the doorway. “Do you want anything?”
“I guess. If you’re going to eat something. You don’t mind, do you?” He reached up and fiddled with his hair. Out of all the nervous habits a guy could have, that had to be the most adorable one.

Adrienne had come in a little earlier and I knew she was sleeping—she had an exam first thing in the morning—so I quietly made my way into the kitchen. Rob followed close behind me. I pulled out some Bisquick and eggs—you could never go wrong with breakfast at nighttime. It didn’t long before the goopy mix was on the waffle iron. Rob sat on the countertop, handing me whatever I asked for.
Rob didn’t say much. He was usually the one asking all the questions, but after his confession about Kate I was dying to know more. I would take whatever he would give me—anything down to his favorite color. I wanted to know more than just what spot on his neck made his hands creep a little lower.

…

“Jesus, are you going to have some waffles with your syrup?” I looked up from filling each square with maple syrup to see Rob’s scrunched expression. We were sitting across from one another on my bed.
“What, you don’t like syrup?” I held up a bit of soggy waffle on my fork, examining it before I popped it into my mouth.
“Not a gallon of it at a time, love.”
“What do you like then?”
“I’m sure if you Google me you’ll find a complete and accurate list.”
“No, Rob. Come on,” I whined, shaking his leg. He laughed and shoveled more waffles into his mouth. “You’re just telling me about Kate—I want to know more about you. It’ll be a little game.”
“You’re just telling me about Brett—fine.” He set his empty plate down on the floor and stretched back against the pillows. “As long as I get to ask the first question.”
“But you always ask the questions!” I continued smothering my plate in syrup but stopped when he made a face. “Alright, deal.”
“I can ask anything?” His eyebrows arched and he had this cheeky look on his face.
“Yes.” I shook my head, bracing myself for whatever outlandish question he was about to ask me. “But I’m thinking I'm going to regret this.”
Rob scratched his chin, pondering what his next move would be. I waited patiently for at least five minutes while he busied himself trying out different thinking gestures.
“May I go get a glass of water?”
“That’s your question?” I set my plate on the ground and flopped down beside him, perturbed.
“Well not exactly, I’m still mulling that one over. But I really would like a glass of water.”
He turned his head my way and smiled. I smacked his stomach with a pillow. His arms encircled my waist and I was instantly pressed up against his chest. I shivered slightly as I felt one his hands brush against the small of my back.
“You don’t have to ask,” I laughed, biting my lip to hide how good his hands felt on my bare skin. “The cups are in the cupboard above the sink. Mi casa la tu casa…or whatever it is. I speak French, not Spanish.”
“Ma maison est ta maison?” I was sure I looked surprised as he spoke back to me in French. Crappy accent, but the right language nonetheless. He only grinned happily, like a kid who’d just received a gold star.
“Oui!” I wasn’t even sure if I had said it right. Who would have thought high school French would ever come in handy in California?

I watched him as he crept quietly out to the kitchen, enjoying the fact that he appeared to be subconsciously walking on his the tips of his toes. Once he was out of earshot I groaned and wriggled my body on top of the bed. It had been a little less than two hours and there I was, nearly craving him. This was not a good sign. I flattened my body against the bed and talked myself down.
When he came back into the bedroom, I was still lying on my back with my hands over my face. I didn’t even realize he was there until I felt his breath dancing across my skin. Peeking through a slit in my fingers, I looked up at him. Rob was hovering over me with a frown. I felt a smile stretch against my palms.

“I thought something was wrong.” His expression relaxed instantly but his face was still above mine.

How incredibly tempting.

His lips suddenly pressed against mine, though I was the one who pulled on his shirt collar. I opened my eyes and he was straddling me, our lips still attached. Apparently he had been thinking the same thing I was. My mind went into a quick lull as his fingertips buried themselves in my hair. Then, one by one, his hands slid underneath my shirt.
As my fingers strayed to the band on his boxers, Rob attempted to get my t-shirt over my head. Trying to help him along, I pushed myself onto my elbows and then I smacked my forehead against his. Hard.

My depth perception had never really been that keen.

Everything stopped. Rob sort of staggered off of me, shaking his head. I looked at the picture frames on the wall across from us, trying to contain my embarrassment and my laughter. But it was no use. My body had already begun convulsing.
“I didn’t see that coming.” Rob shook his head, bewildered. One look and we both erupted into giggles, rubbing our foreheads.
“I’m sorry!” I put the hand that wasn’t pressed against my throbbing head over my mouth. Could I have been a bigger moron?
“I think I’m going blind,” he moaned. “Jesus, woman.”

Rob collapsed beside me, exaggerating his pain—or at least I hoped he was exaggerating. Oh God, what if I’d given Edward Cullen a bruise? His people would come after me for sure. I looked down at him, hands over his head. Draping one leg around his waist, I held his head in my hands.
“Rob, I’m so sorry.” He blinked at me as I carefully looked him over, still giggling. “But it doesn’t look bad at all. Just a little red…” I felt his forehead. “Oh, oh! There’s a bump!” My hand flew to my own head and I felt the same thing above my eyebrow.
Rob moved my fingers away and felt my forehead. “You’ve got quite a shiner.”
“Are you lying?”
“Do you usually like deceptive men?”
“Oh God.” Half-naked, I scrambled out of bed and ran to the nearest mirror.

Sure enough, I had a purple spot above my eyebrow. It looked like I was sitting too close to the window and hit it when the car went over a bump. What was I supposed to say when people asked me how I got it—“I was going at it with this guy and I bobbed when he weaved?” I saw Rob in the mirror, sitting on the bed in a fit of laughter. I turned and shot him a look. His facial expression changed instantly and his hands flew to his forehead. Next came whimpering.
“Aw, come here.” I laughed as I jumped back onto the bed. Rob curled up beside me, complaining about a headache and how my skull must have been titanium. “You’re kind of a baby,” I teased, brushing my fingers across his forehead.
“At least I don’t have a black eye on my forehead.” I smacked his arm playfully and he wrangled me in around my waist. “I think we should get you some ice.” His lips gently grazed my eyebrow and then he rolled out of bed. “Sit tight.”

He returned with two washcloths full of ice. I was going to spend the rest of the night icing my forehead while the most gorgeous man on the planet was sitting beside me, shirtless. What was wrong with that picture?
I graciously accepted the cloth and rested against my pillows. Rob squished up beside me, turning every so often and kissing my neck. We ended up watching Home Improvement reruns for the next few hours, swapping horror stories about past injuries. Water began seeping out of my washcloth and dripping down my cheeks. I noticed Rob’s was doing the same. I took the cloth away from him and set them each in the bathroom sink. When I came back, Rob was waiting for me.
“The swelling has gone down a bit,” he murmured, cupping my face in his hands. I ran my fingers across his own bump.
“Yours too,” I nodded. “What a night, huh?” Rob just smiled.
“I blame it on you.” I pressed my finger into his chest.
“Really now?” His eyes widened with a grin.
“Well, if you didn’t have that…eh…I don’t know where I’m going with this anymore.” I cringed sheepishly.
“You don’t know where you’re going with this anymore?” Rob pulled me closer, mocking me. “Good.” I looked up to question him, but he kissed me instead.
I smiled, loving the spontaneity, but I couldn’t ignore my pounding head anymore. When I winced, Rob drew back and held my head.
“Do have Tylenol or something?” I pointed toward the bathroom and Rob made a dash to the medicine cabinet.
“Thank you, thank you. Florence Nightingale.” I winked and accepted the pills.
“Florence Nightingale was a woman, thank you for insulting my manhood. And if you didn’t have such an enormous head…” Rob shook it off. “I just don’t understand how a person’s head could be that hard.”
“Shut up.” Leaning against him, I swallowed the pills. “It’s not my fault you have the coordination of a cow. And have a noggin the size of a melon.”
“You’re hilarious. Have I ever told you that?”
“Hardy-har.”

I rolled onto my back and waited for the medicine to take effect. If I hadn’t pulled such a stupid move, Rob would be blowing my mind right about then. Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes and raised my hands to curse the heavens. When I righted myself, Rob was staring at me strangely.
“So…” And here was the lull I’d been dreading.
“So…I’m thinking we’re both down for the count—have to finish what we started another day.” Rob pushed back my bangs some more to examine my forehead. “But I’ve still got my question.”
I situated myself close to his body and looked up at him with anxious eyes.
“Hit me.”

Rob didn’t look anywhere near as enthusiastic as I was, which meant he had a serious question for me. It had been what I wanted, I suppose.

“Will you go to a party with me?”