Page 21 of Come Back To Me

“So how many girls do you fuck in a day?” I asked. It was casual. I could have been asking about the weather. What’s the point in making yourself look like you’re not hurt, you know? We spend so much time pretending nothing can touch us that men have actually started to believe it. Both Ferdinand and Brick looked suddenly alert, eyes wide, while David looked steadily at me. I had to give it to him—nothing fazed this fucking wanker. I didn’t look at Nya, not even once. She was a terrible server and I was going to fuck up all of her drink orders from now on.

“We aren’t sleeping together, Yara,” he said gently, fighting back a smile. “But, I can see how it looks that way. We ran into each other and Nya suggested we grab something to eat.”

“Oh she did, did she?”

Nya dropped his arm. I wanted to find something to still be mad at, but I was sort of embarrassed.

“Well,” I said. “If you intend to fuck someone else you should let me know. Sexual courtesy and all.”

His mouth twitched, but he kept a straight face.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Though I don’t plan on…er…fucking anyone else in the foreseeable future. I like fucking you. You have a really fantastic pussy.”

Brick clapped once and then crossed his arms over his chest. My move. I scratched my head.

“Yes, but you know how women are. Always offering and when something is right there, men usually take it.”

“Usually?” David placed a hand over his heart. “I am a member of one church. I’ve not been church shopping. I don’t know what type of men you’re used to…”

Ferdinand, the bassist, reached out a hand and squeezed David’s shoulder while looking at me, his lips pressed together trying to suppress his own laughter.

I cleared my throat, my face burning. Nya had taken a step away from David and was looking around for an escape, her plan to steal my guy thwarted.

“I also…quite as well…enjoy it,” I managed to choke out. “The music is decent and—”

“Decent?” Ferdinand said. I ignored him. He wasn’t part of this congregation.

“Well, good then.” David nodded. “So we’re going steady and our relationship seems to be solely based on sex.” He sounded quite cheerful about it.

“No,” I rushed. “I didn’t say that.”

“Which part?” he asked. He looked at Ferdinand. “I’m confused, Ferdinand. Are you confused?”

“Yeah, man. You two are perfect for each other. I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Church and shit.”

“I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore either,” I said to David. And then I added, “I’m not looking for trouble.”

“Oh, English. You’ve found trouble,” he said. “I’m glad you’re my girlfriend.”

English.

“Fine. All right. But you have to take me out to dinner tonight to celebrate. Somewhere fancy and expensive.”

“Fine,” he mimicked. “But, as my girlfriend, you have to give me a blow job in the car before we go into the restaurant.”

“I don’t swallow,” I said.

“No one’s perfect.”

I pushed past them, my face stony and determined. What the ever-loving fuck just happened? Also, suddenly I was hungry again.

David made good on dinner. And having dinner with David was like having dinner with any other guy. That was a lie. Having dinner with David wasn’t at all like anything I’d experienced before. He was…fun—unpretentious. The dip underneath his neck and above his collarbone was smooth and tan. I wanted to touch that spot, lick it. He didn’t seem to care if I was having a good time either, because he was having a good time, and he assumed I was lively enough to join him. He broke out into song at random times too, singing things instead of saying them. It could have been annoying but it wasn’t. The way his lips moved when he sang was sexy. He wore a plaid sport coat and grey pants that were rolled above his ankles. He opened doors and ordered the calamari. The conversation lagged while we ate and every few minutes he would glance up at me when I wasn’t looking. Was he studying my face? Wondering why he came? Perhaps I wasn’t what he thought. No. I pushed those feelings away. I was acting like this was the first time we were hanging out. We’d been spending time together for weeks, just not as a couple. I flinched at my own thoughts and David tilted his head to the side.

“What are you thinking about, English? Are you having a freak-out moment?”

“Yes,” I said. “Why are you grinning like that?”

“I like that I have the power to cause these freak-out moments.”

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