Page 174 of Now and Forever

“Cupcakes, my favorite,” the man exclaimed with utter delight, ready to devour them.

What the actual fuck! Had that really just come out of his mouth? He used to call me cupcake. How could he be so cruel?

He breezily rounded the counter, standing across from where I stood then drilling me with those fathomless blue depths. “May I have one?”

Anxiously, I gave him a small nod, beside myself and unsure how to act around him.

Licking my lips, I gathered every ounce of my focus to ice the mini treats, saying, “Yeah, help yourself.” This was the first time he and I had spoken since his birthday, so my reaction wasn’t that startling. However, his spur of the moment, easy friendliness was unexpected.

As I watched his large hand pluck one undecorated treat, it took a great deal out of me not to dwell on what those hands were capable of. I had missed him, but I hadn’t realized how much until this moment.

Overwhelmed with monumental nostalgia, I had to chew on the inside of my cheek just so I didn’t say something that would evoke another row between us.

“This is so good,” he groaned with utter delight before taking another bite. “It’s just as I remembered.”

Those sounds he was making weren’t helping my libido. Dying a little inside, I had to press my legs together, all thanks to those guttural sounds he had made.

“Thanks,” I mumbled back, trying to ignore the fact that I was getting aroused. My body was a lost cause, so I tried to think of other things, such as why he was being nice to me all of a sudden. He had been an ass last night, ignoring me, and then, less than twenty-four hours later, in he comes with a smile on his face as if we were the best of friends again.

While I was still icing the cupcakes, my phone beeped, and since my hands were literally full and sticky from the excess icing, I chose to disregard it and continued with my task.

“Is he treating you well?”

His question threw me off guard. Why was he concerned all of a sudden? Wasn’t he the one who had treated me like crap, using and throwing me away? Cori, on the other hand, had been respectful enough. Although he had pushed the boundaries when making out, he had stopped pressuring me.

“Of course.”

“That’s all I need to know,” he stated flatly.

Right. Whatever his motives were, they eluded me. It was difficult to read a man like Drew who was used to hiding his motivations. Even when angry, it would take a great deal for him to unmask himself.

Thank goodness my grandmother and mother arrived, breaking the awkward tension between us.

The atmosphere between the five of us reminded me of old times. Not only did nostalgia come at me full-throttle, but Drew seemed more amiable toward me. He didn’t really do much other than passing me the bowl of mashed potatoes, but it signified how he was gradually thawing his icy treatment of me. Compared to yesterday, it was black and white.

When Mom and Grandma left, I thought Drew had left with them, but when I noticed his bedroom was open, I was startled to find him in there, sitting at the edge of his old bed, deep in thought.

“Sorry, I thought you had already left.”

Looking up, he shook his head. “I didn’t.”

Torn between leaving him and curiosity, I chose the latter.

“If you still plan on moving out, I can pack everything for you so you won’t have to bother.” My offer had a motive. I had kept some of his shirts, thinking he might not come back for a long time. And since I had grown attached to those shirts, I didn’t plan on handing them back. So hopefully, he wouldn’t notice them gone.

Pressing his lips together, he let out a deep breath before looking about the room, as if noting how much he had to pack up. “No, I’ll do it myself. I’ll come back later when I get a chance.”

Feeling as though I was interrupting his solace, I decided to leave him be. “All right, then.” Nodding at him, I gave him a tight smile before gripping the door, readying to leave.

“Chloe?” he called out to me.

“Yeah?”

Our eyes locked for what seemed like forever, but I knew it was only mere seconds. It felt as though he wanted to say something yet couldn’t bring himself to form the words.

“Goodnight.” He broke eye contact and whatever else we had just shared in those few glorious seconds.

“You, too.”

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