Page 44 of Camera Chemistry
We spend late morning and early afternoon on the living room couch. We talk about our families and I jot down a list of romance books for Maven to read. The television gets turned on at some point, and we watch a few episodes of a sitcom we both enjoy.
Aiden feeds me lunch, and I clean the dishes from last night and this morning. I spray him with the faucet when he tries to help and he chases me around the kitchen, soap suds on his hands. When he grabs me, he bends me over the barstool and fucks me one last time. I bite the leather to keep from screaming out his name and he rips my shirt off, kissing down my back.
“If you were staying,” he whispers as he thrusts into me, “I’d make you lick your mess up off the floor. So needy, aren’t you?”
Only for you, I want to say.No one else has ever made me feel this way.
After we finish, we trudge back to his room, falling asleep with our limbs wrapped around each other.
“What time is it?” I ask when I wake up. The sun is setting, daylight leaving the world.
“Don’t care,” he answers through a yawn, pulling me close. “Ten more minutes.”
Ten minutes turns to twenty, which turns into two hours as we nap again, his thigh thrown over mine and my cheek against his chest. Soon, it’s approaching seven p.m., and we both know what’s coming.
“I should…” I trail off and clear my throat.
“Oh. Yeah. Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to keep you so late. That’s my fault.”
“You didn’t. I wanted to stay.”
“Right. Yeah. That’s good.”
It’s awkward, and the tension in the room is rising at an alarming rate. This isn’t the same chemistry we’ve had the last twenty-four hours. This feels like two strangers parting ways. It’s cold, closed-off. I shimmy off the bed. Aiden grabs a shirt from the floor and yanks it over his head.
“I don’t know where half my clothes are.”
“Here’s your dress.”
“Thanks. Have you seen my—”
“Your bra and underwear are near the closet.”
“Got it.”
“You can change in the bathroom if you want to rinse off before you go.”
“That’s okay. It’s only a few blocks.”
Aiden nods and stands, shifting on his feet. “Maggie.”
“Yeah?” I put my dress on and look over my shoulder. “Can you zip me up?”
“Sure.” He walks toward me and rests his hand on my lower back. He takes his time, kissing the nape of my neck then my throat. “I need to tell you something.”
I spin so I can face him. “What? You’re dying from an incurable disease and sleeping with a stranger was on your wishlist before you passed?”
He smiles and shakes his head. He cups my cheeks with both hands and looks into my eyes. “I’m going to miss you. A lot.”
“You mean you’re going to miss my pussy.”
“Yes, I am, because it’s tight and fucking delicious, but I’m also going to missyou,Maggie. Laughing with you. Talking with you. Just being with you. I wanted you to know that before you left.”
It doesn’t feel like an ultimatum, like he’s forcing me to make some life-altering decision. It hurts, though, to hear the words. I’m going to tuck them close and remember them on a particularly lonely day, but I also wish he didn’t say them. It reaffirms my suspicions that Aiden and I could have been something.
“I’m going to miss you, too. These have been the best two days of my life.”
“Mine too, sweetheart.” He kisses my forehead. “You’ll take care of yourself, right? You won’t let anyone treat you less than the queen you are?”
