He told himself he had no right to be mad, but he didn’t mind being a hypocrite, a selfish one at that. He drummed his head, trying to understand why he felt it was okay for him to date and fuck around, but the minute Cara did, or attempted to, he felt shunted, he’d even use the word betrayed. She was his, maybe he hadn’t claimed her yet, but hey, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Or a decade, right?
One thing was certain, he needed to get a grip on this thing sooner rather than later, or he was going to combust, physically. The warning signs were there, the constant fatigue, the loss of appetite, just last night he woke, drenched. He had sweated through his sheets. There were times when his chest constricted so tightly he was tempted to drive himself to the nearest emergency room. Then he thought what he would tell the doctor. Hey doc I’m in love with my best friend, but I’m too much of a pussy to tell her so I’ll just make myself sick instead. Yeah, he opted not to go the emergency room.
He pushed himself out of bed, figuring he should probably try to eat something. It was slim pickings when he looked into his refrigerator and decided a bowl of corn flakes was probably the safest bet. He just hoped the sell by date on the milk wasn’t last week. He grabbed a bowl when he heard a knock on the door.
It was probably one of his family members, bugging him. He had stopped answering the phone to them yesterday because he could not take it anymore. First, it was his mother insisting she bring him some food. Then, it was his father yelling that his mother was worried sick, let her bring the damn food. Sam followed suit, reminding him he had another two days before Ava’s birthday party to snap out of it. Luke’s call had been the last one of the parade of phone calls, begging him not to ignore their parent’s calls, because every time he didn’t answer, they called him to see if he had heard from him.
He pulled open the door and was pleasantly surprised that it was Cara. She was carrying two brown paper shopping bags of groceries and smiled up at him. He went to take one of the bags from her, but she pushed past him into his apartment. “Hope you’re hungry.”
He shut the door and leaned against it, watching as she began to pull things out of the bags. “I was just about to eat.”
She eyed the expired milk on the counter and looked back at him. “Then I came just in time.”
He knew she hadn’t meant it as a sexual innuendo, but his dick still did a happy dance, having a mind of its own. He pushed off the door and strode towards the breakfast bar. “What’d you bring?”
“I’m going to make chicken cutlets, and if you eat all your dinner like a good boy, we’ll bake a cake for dessert.” She winked at him and began to make herself at home in his kitchen.
He made himself comfortable on one of the stools. “Which one of them called you?”
She laughed and stood on her tip toes to grab two bowls. Her shirt riding up as she stretched her arms to reach, baring her back. He couldn’t help himself and his eyes traveled down the length of her slender back to her ass. Her pants looked molded against her, and he sighed appreciating the view. “Actually, they all did. But when you didn’t answer my text I figured I’d stop by.”
He looked around; he didn’t even know where he had put his phone. He reached for his pockets, and realized he was barely dressed. He had no shirt on and a pair of sweats on, no pockets, and definitely no phone. “I may have thrown my phone out the window.”
She laughed and bent down to grab a frying pan in one of the lower cabinets. He leaned over the counter, not able to resist that ass. He leaned back when she began to rise and glanced at the clock. “Don’t you have work?”
“I’m off this weekend, remember? We were supposed to go out tomorrow night after Ava’s birthday.” She said as she heated the oil in the frying pan. Then she looked over at him. “Think you’ll be up to it?”
He nodded shortly, “I’m feeling better.” And he was since she arrived and decided she was just what the doctor called for. “Can I help you?”
She looked at him from under her fringe of lashes and gave him a soft smile. “Sure. You can crack the eggs.” She slid the dozen of eggs towards him along with a fork and bowl. She began to pour bread crumbs into another bowl.
He busied himself with the task she appointed him stealing a glance at her after each egg was cracked. “So-“He began and began to beat the eggs. “How’s your fishing expedition coming along?”
She didn’t stop preparing the food to look at him she merely shrugged and began to pound the chicken. “It’s a work in progress.”
Hmm, she didn’t play dumb to his question or pretend she wasn’t sure what he was referring to, he didn’t know what to make of that. “So the dart guys from the other night?”
“What about them?” She took the bowl from him and began to dip the chicken in the egg mixture.