Page 21 of Knot Gonna Give You Up

There’s shuffling in the background now, as if he’s looking for someone or something.

“Okay, I wanted to say something, but I don’t want to upset Simon, so I was checking for his car, and he’s not home yet.”he clears his throat. “I think that I’m really nervous that you and Simon won’t like each other. Whenever you’ve visited us, he hasn’t been around, so I’m not really sure how it will go. I don’t want to lose either of you, you know?”

“Oh, Vic, I’m sure it will be fine. Maybe we’ll get along, but maybe we won’t; it’s hard to know until it happens. One thing I do know is that even if he ends up being a giant asshole, you’re still my Vic and I won’t pull away from you. Okay?”

I can hear the small smile in his voice as he agrees, “Okay.”

“So, when do you want to get together? What works for you?”

“I mean, I always want to get together.”

“Well, do you want to come over now?” I ask tentatively. I’m not sure if it’s too fast or not to have him over. Maybe he’s busy.

“Do you mean it?”

“Yeah, I’m home for the night, maybe I’ll treat you and make you some food,” I joke.

“Maybe I’ll take over that part of things,” Vic laughs.

“Hey, I can boil spaghetti just fine!” I protest.

We giggle together, knowing that I’m really not half bad at cooking. However, the one time I tried to cook for him, I burnt everything. He was distracting me with his beautiful ass, it wasn’t my fault.

“If you’re serious, I’ll come over now,” he offers.

I nod even though he can’t see me, “I’d really love that.”

“Done!”

We hang up, and I look around my condo, realizing it needs a good tidy. So I turn on my 80s mix and get to picking up. Mail, extra blankets, socks, all kinds of little things that just pile up over time. Thankfully, I haven’t started my dishwasher yet, so I add a few dishes to it and run it. Feeling satisfied with the way things look, I crack a couple of windows to get some fresh air moving. Only a few minutes later, I hear a car pull into my driveway and I bite my lip with excitement.

Scampering over to the front door, I open it to watch Vic step out of his car. He’s so gorgeous, tall with plenty of muscles and hair that never stays fully slicked back. I love the little tendrils that frame his face. My body starts bouncing in excitement, and despite my typical behavior, I decide I want a hug. Vic closes his car door and meets my eyes with a wide smile. Grinning in response, I hustle over to where he’s standing, and he moves to meet me halfway.

My arms wrap around his waist, and I lay my head on his chest. I can hear his rumbling hum of contentment as he holds me close, his nose pressed into my hair. We pull apart, both of us still grinning like crazy.

“Well, come in, stranger! I’m glad you took the bait to come over!”

Vic laughs, his eyes crinkling at the edges as he does, “You’re irresistible, Josie Girl. I’ll always come see you if you want.”

I let Vic walk into the condo ahead of me, and as I move to follow, my eyes catch on Jesse’s window. He’s standing there, watching with the quiet intensity he has, and I feel my cheeks heat. I continue to smile and give him a happy wave. He sends back half a smile and a small wave before walking off. Oh, shit, is he mad? I suppose he doesn’t really know about Vic. I’ll have to text him. I don’t want to ruin things with him before we’ve even started something.

“Who was that?” Vic asks as I close the door.

I squeak in response because he hasn’t moved more than six inches into the house, and our noses are almost touching.

“You startled me!”

“Sorry, Josie Girl, I was just curious who your neighbor is. Seems awfully intense.” Vic takes a step back.

“He’s quiet, but he’s so nice. We, uh, went on a date a bit ago and haven’t been able to find time again. It’s a bummer because I really like him, so we’ll just see what happens.”

Vic just hums under his breath. I frown at him.

“Why are you being weird about it?” I ask him, but Vic shakes himself out of it and smiles.

“Sorry, just got lost in thought. Show me around your joint again, it’s been too long,” he tells me.

I give him the short tour of my living room and bathroom, vaguely gesturing to my room and nest, then we plop down on the couch. For a minute, we just look at each other.

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