Page 30 of Cat's Outta the Bag

It would be exhausting if Jason didn’t make it fun.

"Ok, today, we're Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and we're on a mission to find an evil mafia lord hell-bent on blowing up the Hollywood sign."

Every time we go out like this, he comes up with a prompt, and we have to act our way through the store or event following the prompt. Last time we were secret lovers from Regency England, and we couldn't touch openly in public. I also pretended to faint a few times so that Jason had to catch me. We always end up spending more time acting out scenes than we do the actual task we're out in public to do. But it takes the pressure off being out and being seen and makes me laugh.

The added bonus is that almost every candid photo of us out there is us laughing or having fun. They're the type of photos that show how much we love and respect each other. I even used one for my phone background. Which is a bit ridiculous.

So today, we’re spies. Slowly moving up and down the furniture store aisles. Peeking around corners, trying to find our enemy before they find us.

We get the odd look here and there, but mostly, we fly under the radar. And most importantly, we have fun, and this morning's shock begins to fade away.

A few hours and a lunch break later, we’re back at my apartment. The box containing the new shelving unit staring at me from the floor. Jason had to take a call and went back to his own apartment. Something to do with the release schedule and press for his upcoming movie.

So, here I am, alone, eyeing the box like it’s an uncrackable safe instead of cardboard.

"Alright, Alexis, you can do this. Your boyfriend very nicely cleaned everything up, went with you to pick out a bigger and better bookcase, and helped you get it inside. You are a smart woman. You went to med school, and you're almost done with residency. You can open this box, follow the directions, and build this damn thing all by yourself."

Slinky takes this exact moment to yowl at me loudly from the couch, clearly saying Ha! Yeah, good luck with that. She has no faith in me, clearly.

Using a pair of kitchen scissors, I slice open the box and start yanking things out. All the while chanting in my head: I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

***

“I CAN’T DO THIS!”

I've flopped on the ground, pieces strewn everywhere, the directions packet tossed across the room. Nothing makes sense, and I feel like an idiot. Tears of shame are leaking out of my eyes, and I can't even be bothered to wipe them away.

Jason chooses this moment to walk in.

He stands there momentarily, observing me in the middle of the chaos, tipping his head to one side.

"This must not be going well, hunh?" He says it so neutrally, without a drop of judgment or humor, like it's no big deal that I can't figure this out. Which, of course, sets off a wave of tears.

He gets down on the floor with me and helps me sit up. While wiping my tears, he kisses my brow. All at once, tension leaves my body. I may not know how to build pre-fab furniture, but I have a partner who will help me. Always.

"Why don't you get started on dinner, and I'll tackle this. Sound good?" I nod mutely, pulling him in for a quick peck before getting up and starting dinner. While I cook, he builds. By the time I have the table set, the bookcase is up and ready for my books. Why is he so wonderful?

"Jason, food's ready. Let's eat and then put my books away after. Maybe we should watch Princess Bride in the background?”

"Perfect idea." He sits next to me at the table and rubs his hands together at the sight of the spaghetti and meatballs I made. It's nothing fancy. I didn't have much energy to do anything too crazy, but with the amount of garlic I add to the pasta sauce, it's fucking good.

We leave the dishes for tomorrow and spend our evening watching our movie and methodically reorganizing my books. There's nothing wildly different about tonight; we've done similar things together plenty of times. But for some reason, it feels like something shifted tonight. In a way that's irreversible. And it doesn't scare me.

Chapter 24

Jason

"Ooooooh, yes." Alexis moans.

“Yes, Jason! Right there. Holy shit. Don’t stop. That’s the spot.”

My dick twitches in my pants, and I can feel it getting hard. I’ve been reciting what I can remember of the periodic table, trying to keep myself from getting aroused. It’s not working.

Alexis is lying on her stomach on the bed, and I am dutifully trying to massage out some knots she has. I'm trying to be a good boyfriend who cares for the woman he loves, not just uses her to get his dick wet.

But she’s making it really hard.

No pun intended.

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