Page 17 of Mechanic Next Door
10
Thomas
When I wakeup a few hours later and find myself sleeping the floor of Peach’s living room, I know everything has changed. I run a hand through my hair and scrub both up and down my cheeks as I glance over at Peach, sleeping peacefully on her sofa with a big, fluffy blanket overher.
Goddamnit. I fucked up. I should never have done what I did. I should have told her in very clear terms that even a kiss, a touch, a glance more intimate than the ones we’ve shared before would result in my ass being locked down and devoted to herforever.
I chuckle to myself as I rise to my feet and tuck Peach’s blanket closer under her chin. She smiles at me in her sleep and rolls over, throwing her arm across her forehead to shield the mid-morningsun.
I take a deep breath and let it out. Every curve and contour of her body is showing even through that blanket, and images of what we did earlier this morning flash through my mind. Her lips on mine. The look in her eyes when she came. The noises she made as I unloaded against her. The shower we took together after what happened, and the fact that instead of talking we just smiled at each other and kissed as the warm shower water spilled over ourbodies.
I’ll do anything and everything I can to make her understand that I made a mistake. I think I might have to do some groveling. She doesn’t like it when people divert from their word. I told her she was too good for me. That she couldn’t be mine and I couldn’t be hers. But in the light of day everything clicks into place. She’s mine. She knows it, I know it. It’s a fact as plain as day and clear as crystal. And even though she insisted we would be able to go back to how it was…hell, I know that’s not what she wants. I know how happy I make her. I know how she looks atme.
I know I’ll have to do something to apologize for only claiming her half-way.
Damn. This might go down as my biggest mistake, my biggest regret. I give her another quick glance as I start to head next door to get myself ready for work, but I decide to carry her up to her room. I scoop her into my arms and put a soft kiss on her forehead as I climb the stairs. When she’s in bed I open her window and pull the thin curtains closed. I know how much she likes to watch the curtains move in thebreeze.
Once I’m at work, I lock myself in my office for the rest of the morning after apologizing to my guys for coming in late. Ray told me it’s not like me and started to give me a little ribbing, saying that I must have been with a girl. But once he started on that path I must have scared him with the expression on my face because he quit that line of comments realquick.
During lunch, I research what kind of flowers would work best without a lot of direct sunlight. I don’t know if the flowers she picked out would really work great in the flower boxes on her porch because they’ll be in the shade. When it’s almost time to close up, Ray knocks and pops his head into myoffice.
“Hey man,” I say, rolling my desk chair out a little as I shut down my computer for the evening. “What’s happening? You guys all going out for adrink?”
“Yeah,” he says. “Wanted to see if you’d like tocome.”
“You know what?” I say with a smile, putting my palms flat on my desk. “You keep asking me, and I’ve always said no, but I think today I might just tagalong.”
Ray gives me a thumbs-up and a smile as I shrug my hoodie onto my shoulders. I grab my phone from my desk and type out a quick text toPeach.
Hey, I’m going to the bar with the guys. Want me to pick you up? We need totalk.
She texts me back before I’m even able to grab the keys from my pocket to lock up myoffice.
I’ll meet you there. See yousoon.
It’s only a short drive over to the bar, and my heart is pounding in my chest on the drive there. It’s already pretty full when I arrive, and I see Peach sitting alone at a booth in the corner with a beer in front ofher.
At least I thought she was alone. When the crowd thins out for me to approach her table, I see that there’s a guy sitting with her. My breath catches in my chest. I don’t know him. Maybe he’s one of her classmates, or maybe he just isn’t a regular here - which is odd, because everyone in this town is a regular here. Ain’t many other places to go, so I’m surprised to see a newface.
“Hey,” I say when I get to the table. Peach slides out and gives me a little hug, and when she slides back into her side of the booth the guy doesn’t look at me. Instead, his eyes are on her. On her gaze, on her breasts, on her hand as it wraps around the glass in front ofher.
Is she going to introduce me to her friend here? No. It’s becoming more clear by the moment that she isnot.
“Can we talk?” I say to her. She peers up at me and gives me a little nod, sliding out of thebooth.
“I’ll be back in a little bit,” she says to this otherguy.
“Hey,” I say, putting my hand on the small of her back as I lead her over to the bar. It’s the exact moment when the bar’s lights dim and the music turns from classic rock at a reasonable volume to party music with a lot of bass. We get to the bar and find a little spot to hitch ourselvesto.
“What do you want to talk about?” She puts her elbows on the bar and gets the attention of the bartender, ordering twobeers.
“Hey, hey. What is going on? Who is theguy?”
She turns her face away and I can see the hurt in her eyes. I brush her hair away from her shoulders and glide my hands down to take hers inmine.
“He’s just a guy from one of my classes. I invited him here tonight. He’s just a friend, don’tworry.”
Confusion burrows its way into my pores. She’s saying he’s just a friend, but I saw how he looked at her. Maybe she thinks he’s just a friend, but the look in his eye told me he thinks there could be somethingmore.
