“Thanks.” I nodded and made my way to the couch and sat. He walked over to me and plopped down next to me.
“Sorry, I should have showered already.” He grinned at me as he ran his hands through his hair. “I had a late night last night.”
“Oh?” I smiled at him uncertainly; not really wanting to know what he’d been doing the previous evening. Though it struck me that he’d slept the night in his apartment and it didn’t appear as if there was anyone else here, so that most likely meant that he hadn’t hooked up with anyone. Unless, of course, he’d gone back to their place and then left early in the morning. Or unless he’d hooked up while out, or…I forced myself to stop thinking of the possibilities. Jealousy was not going to help me in this situation. Especially seeing as I didn’t even know if I had anything to be jealous about.
“I got in late. Went to a concert with some friends and then we went gambling.” He grinned. “Too many free, cheap drinks.”
“Where did you guys go gambling?” I asked curiously, happy that he’d been with guys. Or at least I assumed he’d been with guys.
“If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” He winked at me and sat back. I looked at his smiling face and felt my heart expanding with love. Why did he have to be so handsome? Why did I react to his every smile as if it were made just for me?
“An illegal gambling place?” I raised an eyebrow at him and he laughed and winked again.
“Not saying.” He licked his lips and then ran his hands down his thighs. I found my eyes staring at his thick, muscular, tan thighs and I swallowed hard. Not only was he handsome, he was super fit, and I could feel my whole body tingling as I glanced at him. All he was wearing was a pair of navy blue boxers and I was having a hard time keeping my hands to myself. I just wanted to reach out and touch his legs or his chest. Just to see if they felt as magical as they looked. “Hey, you thirsty?” he asked me curiously. “You want a coffee, or tea or something?”
“Uhm, maybe some water, please?” I smiled. I needed to text Mila and figure out what I should do next. My mind had gone to mush and I had already forgotten the plan. I mean, phase one was in effect. Cody thought that we were all meeting up to discuss the wedding. But Mila and TJ weren’t going to show up. This would give us time alone together. However, I felt like we’d already hit a snag in the plan. Cody was barely out of bed. I was barely coherent and I had no clue what I was going to say we should do once he realized Mila and TJ weren’t coming.
“Sure.” He jumped up. “You hungry? You want anything to eat?”
“I’m okay,” I said. I was way too nervous to eat, but then I groaned because I realized that I should have told him I was hungry because then maybe we could have gone out to eat somewhere.
“Okay,” He nodded. “I’m not sure what I have in my kitchen so that’s probably a good thing.”
“Why offer me a bite if you have no food?” I laughed at him.
“I was trying to be polite.” He grinned back. “Come with me to the kitchen and then I’ll hop in the shower real quick.”
“Okay.” I nodded, wanting to say that I could hop in with him and wash his back. But of course I didn’t. I wasn’t that forward. At least not with him. I’d lost all my confidence and mojo with him. I was so scared that I was going to mess something up or that he was going to reject me. But the hardest part, that part that made everything worse, was the not knowing. Not knowing if I even had a chance. Not knowing if he cared at all. Not knowing if he fancied me. I bit my lip for a second as doubt came crashing in. Did I really not know, though? Wouldn’t he have made a move if he were interested? I mean, generally that’s what guys did. I knew that. There were many Tom, Dick, and Harry’s who had tried to get my attention. Men I hadn’t been interested in. That was always the way. The ones you didn’t want, wanted you. I didn’t know what to think. I wanted him to want me. Yet, in my heart of hearts it felt like a pipe dream. All the articles said if a guy liked you then he would make a move.
“Tap water okay?” he asked me as I followed him to the kitchen and he grabbed a glass from the cupboard. “I don’t have any bottled water.”
“Tap is fine.” I nodded. “Is it filtered?”
“I had a Brita once.” He shrugged. “I forgot to put it on the faucet.”
“Oh, okay.”
“It still tastes good though.”
“It’s fine.” I smiled. “A little water won’t kill you.”
“Maybe in South America or Africa.” He gave me a smile. “Cholera and dysentery and all that jazz. Yellow fever.”
“Uhm, yeah.” I took the glass from him and smiled. “Do you get yellow fever from water?” I asked him curiously. “I’m not a doctor or a medical person or anything, but didn’t know that yellow fever was from water.”