Page 103 of Rewrite the Rules

Joel

Thanks to Cody, I bought a flower shop. All right—exaggeration. But I definitely bought a flower shop out of their same-day available inventory. Every inch of Adler’s apartment floor is covered in rose petals. Bouquets in crystal vases sit on every surface of her home. I also scattered what must be hundreds of candles. I lit them all but they made her little apartment swelter. She’s late returning home so I had to blow them out and start all over again. I never thought winning back my girl would involve so much time screwing around with a little BIC lighter.

The sound of a heavy thump at the door makes my heart jump. It’s showtime. That must’ve been her dropping her luggage at the front door. I hear her shuffling through her purse. A few more moments pass then another thump.

“Dammit! Are you kidding me?” Adler groans in frustration.

A distant ring tells me she’s calling someone and I realize what’s going on. She lost her keys and she’s calling—I’m assuming one of her friends—for backup. I roll my eyes as I walk to the door to ruin my big surprise.

I flick on the lights and open the door to see Adler’s petrified face. She drops her phone in surprise. She’s wearing dingy gray sweatpants and an almost see-through tank top with little holes at the bottom. Her hair is flopped messily on top of her head in a bun that’s loosened. Stray hairs spill all over her face. No makeup and she definitely looks hungover. And yet, she still looks incredible.

“You scared the shit out of me!”

“Well, Baby Spice, this is why you need to remember to lock your door.”

“I thought I did.”

“Obviously, you did not.”

She opens her mouth, no doubt to make a sassy comment but stops when she glimpses over my shoulder. She pushes past me to marvel at her decorated apartment. All of the slight annoyances of putting this whole thing together are worth it as Adler nearly bursts into tears at the sight of her home covered in every romantic gesture Cody and I could think of on short notice.

I embrace her, not wasting any time. She slumps her head into my chest as I stroke her back. The feeling of Adler in my arms is like quenching a thirst after withholding for so long. It’s relief and bliss and comfort all rolled into one and the way her body is melting into mine, I think she feels the same.

“Why are you crying?” I whisper against her ear.

“Because these are all red.” She nods to the flower petals on the floor and the bouquets lining the entry.

I grab Adler’s hand and lead her to the kitchen where even more flowers and candles await her eager eyes. I even pull the top off the silver platter as we pass it which contains a small mountain of tater tots. She throws her head back in laughter before she plants a sweet kiss on my lips.

Sitting on Adler’s couch, I pull her between my legs. I take both of her hands in mine. “Adler, I don’t want anyone else and I don’t want to lose you. Can we just take things slow?”

“Slow? We’ve literally had sex on this couch multiple times.”

“No, I mean slow with our expectations. I need to know that if I can’t…be what you want that we’re both going to be okay. It’s never been about not wanting you…I don’t want to hurt you or let you down.”

“Slow is okay.” Adler leans down to kiss my cheek. The scent of her sweet perfume hovers around us. “You didn’t have to do all this. You hate wasting money on unnecessary things. We could’ve just talked.”

“It was for you, which makes it the most worthwhile investment I can make.”

I must’ve whispered the magic words because Adler’s lips suddenly dance all over mine. I wrap my hands around her waist and let them slide down to her hips where they lock in place—where they belong.

Her eyes narrow mischievously as she breaks our kiss. “Are there flowers upstairs I should see?”

“Um, actually no. I didn’t want you to think I was trying to lure you back into sex by making this official.”

Adler holds out her hand and pulls me off the couch, tugging me toward the stairs. “Come on.” She winks. “I am dying to know if sex with my boyfriend feels different than sex with my ‘fun bunny’.”

I breathe out a low whistle and let Adler have her way as she pulls me up her rickety floating stairs. She falls backwards on her bed and bites her lip in anticipation.

Different? God, I hope not.

* * *

Adler

Everything is different tonight. Joel is different. The tension between us is changed. The mood is shifted. It’s better. It’s so much better.

I sit on the edge of the bed watching as Joel takes off his shoes, then his socks. His eyes don’t leave mine as he pulls off his glasses and tosses them on my nightstand. He peels his shirt over his head with one hand. The hard contours of his muscles look even more defined than normal like he’s been working out some frustration at the gym while I’ve been away.

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