Page 47 of Ten Kisses

Darren came back ten minutes later and he stayed with me for the next forty-five minutes. He would say that he was helping, but he talked to me the whole time, and I honestly could have worked faster if he wouldn't have been there. He had been at work all day, and you would think he would want to relax and be by himself, but he stayed in that closet with me, talking and telling me all sorts of things about his personal life.

It wasn't my favorite way to pass an hour, but he and Michelle had done so much for me, and it went fast.

Before long, sushi had arrived. I took a short break to go get my roll from the kitchen and when I got out there, I found a feast. Darren had ordered eight or ten rolls and several pieces of fish on the side. I made a plate for myself, but I kept it small because I didn't want to be there any longer than I had to.

Michelle was out of town, and Darren must've been bored because he hung around me, talking the whole time. Every time I felt impatient, I would remind myself about my lovely apartment and the amazing kitchen I worked in every day.

"Does your dad know you've been seeing more of that carpenter boy?"

There were cameras on the property. I knew he was aware that Salem had been over. But this was the first he had said about it.

"He does," I said vaguely.

"What do your parents think about it?"

"They love Salem, they just don't know we're seeing each other."

"Oh, your parents don't know?"

"No sir, not really."

"Why not? Does your father not approve?"

"No, it's not that. They love Salem. It just complicates things that my brother is married to his sister. I’m going to tell them soon, I just haven't."

"I could see where you would want to hide it," he said. He shrugged. "And anyway, sometimes secret relationships are the best kind."

"Yeah," I said vaguely.

I glanced at him, and he smiled and lifted his eyebrows. "You don't have to marry the first guy you date, either. It's okay for you to explore and experiment a little bit. And I don't think you really need to tell your parents about all the people you're not marrying."

He was chuckling and saying it all so confidently that I laughed along with him.

"I might just marry him, though," I said with a shrug after I took a second to think about it and realized I should speak up.

"Na, you don't know that," he said. "You have no way of knowing that yet. You're in the same proximity as this guy because of your brother." He paused but then continued. "I hate to recommend a casual, physical relationship, but sometimes in life, that's what's called for."

I nodded because I thought it was rude to blatantly disagree.

"Just do it in secret. It's no sense is stirring the pot and getting your families upset."

"Yeah." (I didn't know what else to say.)

"It's different with people like Michelle and me. We don't need secrets between each other. We're both really open."

"Uh-huh," I said, not fully understanding what he was saying.

"I actually wouldn't recommend marriage, in the classic sense of the word, like most people think of it. Michelle and I have something different—something beautiful and unique. We make certain allowances to each other, so there's no need for secrets between us. Secrets from other people, now that's a different story. You can have all of those you want. I actually recommend it. Michelle and I are both open people, and so at the end of the day, there's no such thing as cheating at all. Just like… she's off having her fun tonight, and I'm not even worried about it."

"Hm," I said, making a noise since I couldn’t find any words to say.

I had started to feel awkward and nervous. My mind was working a thousand miles an hour to try to remember and decipher everything he had just said.

The tone of the conversation had made me suddenly anxious. My face felt hot and my heart was starting to beat fast. I jumped and gasped a little when I felt his hand touch my back. I stepped back, and when I noticed that he was smiling innocently. I gave him a smile because I felt like I had overreacted. It looked like he was just reaching for something.

"I was just going to take your plate," he said, reaching for my sushi plate.

"Thanks," I said. "I guess I need to go ahead and finish the closet."

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