Page 90 of Between Us

She slowly stands and walks around the counter. “Can I help with something?”

I nod and assign her to cutting the avocado and tomatoes. She takes her time washing her hands, seeming to be lost in her own mind. When she settles next to me, getting set up and cutting the tomatoes first, she sighs, “I know I have to talk to him. I’m going to, tomorrow. I just need tonight to get over my embarrassment, and I’m still a little overwhelmed.”

“Makes sense. You’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

She looks up with more affection than I’ve ever seen from her. “Thanks, Adrian.”

We finish the rest of dinner, mostly in silence, but there’s comfortable conversation when one of us does have something to say. Despite the situation, I’m happy she’s here.

We finally settle on the couch, burrito bowls in hand; chips to scoop for me, while Blake has a tortilla she rips into smaller pieces. I let her choose what to watch, and she settles on one of her god-awful reality shows, but I don’t say anything. The irony that she often complains about how cheesy her mom’s telenovelas are, is not lost on me.

The volume is low, so we make small talk to fill the silence. After a lull, I finally bring up something that’s been weighing on me for most of the afternoon. It feels like something that has been brewing in the back of my mind for a while now, even if I wasn’t fully aware of it.

“So, I was wondering if you’ve thought any more about college,” I say, trying to tread lightly.

She side-eyes me. “I mean, no. I’ve told you that I’ll think about it once I have any semblance of an idea of what I want to do with my life.”

Shrugging a little helplessly, I tell her, “I’m not judging, pretty girl. I just had an idea.”

Cautiously, she turns her body toward me. Balancing her bowl on a knee, she asks, “An idea about me and college?”

“Yeah,” I nod tentatively. “I think there’s an option for you to help more people in a way that benefits your dad’s clinic as well.”

She slowly takes a bite of her food and gives me a disbelieving look yet not shutting me down either. By the end of the conversation, she even seems excited.

Chapter Forty-Five

Blake

Lyinginbed,waitingfor Adrian to finish getting ready, I feel a newfound hopefulness. It’s been there for the last couple of hours, since Adrian told me what he spent his afternoon looking into.

Community outreach programs.

And there are some that are run through vet clinics. They offer things I try to do already—pet insurance and basic care education, emotional support during medical procedures, and volunteer pet caretaking. There are endless possibilities of what I could do for the community with the right licenses, permits and grants.

We could hold free clinic days, offer discounted mandatory procedures like spaying or neutering, have emergency relief funds, and so much more. Those are only a few of the many opportunities Adrian mentioned.

His note taking really is impressive so when he realized I was more than interested in his idea, he brought out a notebook and his laptop. For about an hour and a half—while we waited for the cookies he ordered for me—we went over everything he’s learned in the last couple of hours.

It’s more than I can fully process at the moment, but the one thing I realized was, I do need to start thinking about college. Likeright now. I don’t feel overwhelmed, like I always worried I would. There are nerves but they’re the excited kind.

Part of those nerves could be the fact that I’m lying in Adrian’s bed in nothing besides my panties and tank top. I showered at the gym. And truthfully, I’ve enjoyed the time with my thoughts while he’s been in the shower and doing whatever else he needs.

Only the water turned off about ten minutes ago, so I know he’ll be walking out any minute now.

This isn’t the first night we’ve spent together, but it feels different. Like we somehow took a step forward. And the longer I lay here, the clearer it becomes. The guilt over our lapses in judgement isn’t building a wall between us anymore.

Maybe tonight isn’t the best night to have sex, all things considered after the day’s events, but I feel closer to Adrian than ever before. And that’s saying something because he’s easily become my person in the last few weeks.

And now, I want to share everything with him… including my body.

As if my thoughts were a beacon, he comes out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. And God, what a marvelous fucking sight it is. Even though we haven’t gone further than oral, Adrian isn’t shy about his body. And he sure as hell has no reason to be.

Regardless, if we just watch movies or go straight to sleep, he’s always peeling off layers of fabric, and encouraging me to take off as much as possible. I think he just likes the skin-to-skin-contact—something I’ve quickly become accustomed to.

I watch as he drops the towel and grabs a pair of boxer-briefs, not trying to hide my intentions. When he looks back at me, I feel my face warm, but I let my eyes move up his body until I meet his gaze.

It’s new—feeling confident in my desires and expressing those to the person I’m dating. Ever since Adrian promised that I was safe with him, he’s done everything in his power to stick to his word.

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