Page 38 of Cat's Outta the Bag

Not five minutes later, she's coming on my tongue, her front pressed against the shower's glass wall. Hopefully, now she'll be less stressed.

I wash up quickly and step out before she's even halfway through her shower routine. "Babe, I'm going to go get breakfast and coffees for us; I'll be right back. Don't stress, ok? I'll help you finish any cleaning you feel is still needed."

The shower muffles her voice, but I'm pretty sure she said ok.

I grin like an idiot the entire way to our favorite café; I can't even contain it once I'm inside, smiling and thanking everyone. I'm pretty sure I even thanked someone for just being in line.

When I get back, I'm pulled up short by something taped to her door. It's a white envelope, with "to Neighbor in Unit 505" written on it. I glance around to see if anyone is in the hall before grabbing it and stepping inside.

Alexis is already on the patio, a book in her lap. That's a good sign. I half expected to find her cleaning the toilet again. On second thought, when I reach the patio door, she's not actually looking at the pages. She's staring off into space, chewing on her bottom lip like it holds the secrets of the universe.

She looks up once I wave the coffee in her face and finally cracks a smile.

Before I broach the subject, I wait until she's had a few bites to eat and drank at least a quarter of her latté.

“What has you so worried about your parents visiting? I thought you wanted me to meet them?”

She closes her eyes and blows out a breath. Shit, maybe she doesn’t want me to meet them?

“I do want you to meet them. But I'm scared too. My mom can be very intense. I know you feel like your mom is, but she honestly is chill compared to mine. I don't want her to freak you out and make you uncomfortable." She turns to me, her eyes actually watering.

I reach out my hand and tug on hers until she gets up and sits on my lap. Once she's settled, I tip her head back so she can see my face.

“Lex, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, your mom can do or say to freak me out. What do you think she might talk about that worries you?”

She shrugs at first, but I bounce her a bit, and she gives in. “I think she’s going to ask about marriage and babies. Things you and I haven’t really talked about yet.”

"Well, then, let's talk about it. Do you want to get married?"

"Yes, but not right away. I still want us to find our rhythm." She pauses as if she's not sure she wants to say more. "I think we should at least live together first, right?"

I nod, glad we're on the same page on that front. It will make it much easier when I ask her to move in, and maybe I can even move up my timeline around that.

“Ok, so we’re on the same page. Live together, then talk of marriage. What about kids?”

She chews her lip again, looking away before answering. "I want kids, two at least. But not for a while yet; I'm about to finish residency and hopefully become an attending at my hospital. Getting pregnant too soon could hurt my career growth."

That makes sense, "I also would like a couple of minis running around, but I'm in no rush." I grab her coffee and hand it to her, then take a sip of my own. "So, we're on the same page; your mother won't surprise me or freak me out." She sighs in relief and eventually relaxes against my chest. We sit there quietly for a few minutes, just sipping coffee and breathing each other in.

Then she notices the envelope. “What’s that?”

“Oh yeah, I forgot. That was taped to your door when I got back.” I hand it to her and sit back while she opens and reads the one-page note.

“Oh no…” Her eyes widen, a horrified look on her face. “Oh no, no, no, no, no!”

"What? What does it say?" I'm alarmed. What the fuck could a neighbor have written to freak her out like this? She just shakes her head and hands me the paper, abandoning my lap altogether.

I can’t stop myself from laughing when I’m done reading.

Dear Neighbor in 505,

Hello, this is the neighbor that shares the wall with your bedroom. Did you know that? Our bedrooms share a wall. Because I sure did. While I am absolutely delighted that you seem to have a boyfriend or at least a regular bedfellow, I have to kindly ask that you refrain from the all-night sex marathons.

For a minute there, I thought maybe you both had resumed ordinary sexual exploits. You know, maybe one round of sex at night, at a normal time, and then sleeping until the next day. But no, last night, you were up until nearly five in the morning. Did you know that? FIVE IN THE MORNING.

While I applaud your stamina, I am begging you to stop. I would really like to sleep at some point.

All my best,

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