Page 12 of Consorting with Romance

Every year there was an annual world Holiday celebrating the ending of the third world war and the rebuilding of a unified society. From what I understood of historical holidays, it was a bit like the old world’s American Thanksgiving or Independence Day. Families and friends got together, cooked large meals, played games, and socialized. I cringed internally. It was a time to be with family. Why would he ask me that? He knew I didn’t have any family.

I attempted to keep things light. “Nah, my first few years in the city I worked that day, but those encounters were always just people who were desperate not to be alone and it was depressing. Total boner killer. Not good in my line of work.”

I wiggled an eyebrow suggestively and he laughed. He now found my sexual jokes amusing rather than embarrassing, which I was thankful foras I made them often.

“Now I just sort of take the day to read or sit in the sun.”

He looked pleased with my answer. “My only other friend in the city, my roommate Bethany, is going to be out of town and I can’t afford to go home this year, so …”

I cut him off with a frown. That wasn’t ok.

“Jess, no. You should be with family. I’d be happy to front you the money.”

He glared. “You wanna cut me off some more?”

I hung my head;sufficiently reprimanded.

He cleared his throat,“As I was saying,” he continued in an affronted tone as he forced his face into a serious expression even though the smile lines around his eyes were deep and the pools of amber nearly glowed with amusement.

I wanted to kiss him.

“The dorms are tiny, but I’m an acceptable cook. I was wondering if you wanted to come spend the day with me?”

I felt my breath catch and my heart race. What was I supposed to do with that? Yes. God yes. More than I’ve ever wanted anything.

I replied quickly before I could talk myself out of it. “My place is only a thirty-minute train ride away. It’s not big, but probably larger than a dorm, and there’s a nice yard. A farm boy like you must miss that living in the city. Why don’t we each cook half, and you spend the day at my place?”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look happier, and I was completely hooked. He could have bent me over right there on the sofa and I’d have simply melted and moaned his name. The way those golden eyes glowed when he smiled was all I could think about as he left.

Chapter 4

Ash

By early afternoon, everything was finished except the rolls that I had proofing on the counter.I was cutting limes to make limeade when there was a knock on the door. I glanced at the clockas those fucking butterflies flared to life once again. Guess he couldn’t live without seeing me earlier than we’d planned. I groaned audibly at myself for the thought as I wiped my hands on a towel, slung it over my shoulder, and made for the door.

Jesse stood there looking like he’d just been delivered by the folks at a mail order ‘pick your perfect man’ catalogue. His attire was similar to my own,casual linen pants and a simple grey t-shirt. His arms were loaded down with several bags he’d had to carry the eight blocks to my house from the train station, and his shoulders were straining slightly under the weight. I nervously grinned and stepped back from the doorway, gesturing for him to come in.

My home was a modest one-level, semi-track style build. It was only twenty feet in depth and each room simply sat alongside the next like one long hallway of rooms. The front door opened into a small dining area, with the kitchen the only room to the left. Opposite the front entrance was a sliding glass door that led into theback yard. To the right of the doors, at the tables edge, was a three-quarter wall that separated the dining area from a small living room in which I had an entertainment screen I rarely used, a plush sofa long enough to nap on, and a reading area with a small table and two older, overstuffed, comfortable wingback chairs. Another three-quarter wall separated the living area from the bedroom. The bedroom was small, nothing like the room I used at the office, but the bed was fluffy and comfortable. At work I needed thrusting support, but on my own I just liked to float on a cloud. There was something comforting about that. It felt almost like being held as I slept. Not that I actually knew what that felt like. Small glass end tables were placed on either side of the bed, and a small wardrobe stood at its foot. One last three-quarter wall, this one with drapes to complete the separation, led to the bathroom. I’d splurged a bit and had a large jetted soaking tub as well as a slate shower similar to the one at the office installed. What can I say, I’m a water bug and there is no water nearby. The whole place was decorated in calm sands and deep greens with white accents.

Once in my youth I had visited the coast. At the edge of the world where the vibrancy of surf and sand had met the tranquility of old growth forest, I had found peace. I’d wanted my home to be a reminder of what I’d felt that day. It had taken me several years to fully decorate, and I’d chosen each paint color, each piece of furniture, each painting with care. I’d tried to make the place feel warm, comfortable, and relaxing. I’d wanted it to feel like a home.

I led Jesse through the kitchen and opened the fridge for him. I’d cleared an empty shelf earlier, and he easily slipped the large bags in to cool.

“I’m a bit behind on the rolls, they have a half hour before they can go in to bake,” was the only thing I could come up with as I lost myself in his light, happy smile.

He grinned. “You in a hurry?”

“Not at all.”

God, I was enamored with him.

As he looked around the room, he caught sight of the limeade. His shocked gaze shifted to mine. “Holy shit, it’s just the two of us, why would you spend that kind of money?”

It was the first time I’d heard him swear.

Many things had changed as the world had put itself back together. Energy came primarily from the sun and the wind and the sea. Textiles were mainly from natural, renewable resources, and food was locally grown and sourced. It was expensive to import food from other settlements, so it was unusual to eat anything that wasn’t locally available. Limes weren’t grown locally. As we had snow and freezing temperatures for a few months during the winter, they wouldn’t survive outdoors and while a lot of produce was grown hydroponically and in greenhouses, the amount of greenhouse space it would take to grow citrus - which, let’s be honest, is good, but not exactly nutritiously dense - simply wasn’t worth it.

I felt my lips quirk into a small smile as I poured him a glass, slipped it into his hand without a word, and gestured with my head for him to follow me. He took one step into the back yard and froze in his tracks.

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