Page 461 of Rock Me All Night
"What's going on, kid? What are you thinking?"
"You're naked."
"I can see how that would be distracting."
Yes, that's it. I'm distracted. Nothing more. I nod.
"Asking me to put on my clothes for once. That's new." His lips curl into a smile. "But anything for you."
He's teasing. The mood is light. I can't ruin that. It feels good joking with Tom. Everything with Tom feels good.
God, I love him so much. It eclipses everything.
Tom's eyes connect with mine. His gaze is penetrating. Maybe I was wrong about my eyes. Maybe he can see how much I love him.
"You sure you're okay?" he asks.
I nod.
He accepts my answer and makes his way upstairs to dress. I use the time to dig through the kitchen. It's clean and stocked with pots, pans, oils, spices. Aside from a little fruit and several different kinds of dairy and non-dairy milk, there's nothing in the way of fresh food. We'll have to go to the store if we want to cook anything beyond a TV dinner.
Tom's footsteps make their way down the stairs, across the living room.
"Hey." He presses his palms against the kitchen counter. "What do you want to cook?"
"You don't have any food here."
"There's a place at the bottom of the hill. We can get whatever you need."
I need you. I nod. Okay. "Pasta."
"What kind?"
"With tomatoes. And garlic. Pasta pomodoro." I stare into Tom's eyes. "I need to have it. I need to cook it with you. I need us to have it together."
"Sure."
"No, Tom, I..."I love you."You don't understand. I... I love... I love pasta. I can't live without it. I hate going a single day without it."
He stares back at me. Understanding fills his eyes. "I love pasta, too."
"Yeah?"
His expression softens. "Yeah, but I've never made a point of eating it regularly. Of planning like that. Arranging my life around anything."
"Tom, I..."
He takes my hands and pulls me into a slow, deep kiss. It's there in the way he kisses me. Neither one of us can say the words, but right now, I feel them.
When our kiss breaks, he pulls me into a tight hug, presses his palm against the back of my head, holding me against his chest.
"I've never... made pasta before," he says. "Not sure if I can."
"That's okay. We can learn together."
