****
"No. Tonight's about you," he whispered, grabbing my wrists from his belt and pushing me onto the bed. I giggled, and my heart pounded as he pressed against me. My body tingled as he released my wrists and lowered his head. He kissed my belly, and his fingers toyed with the waistband of my shorts.
*****
The small lamp on the desk flickered on and off, interrupting my reminiscences of the other night. I shook my head and pushed the memory away, trying to concentrate on the job.
I rubbed my eyes and stared at the delicate watch. Its mechanisms were painfully unmoving in a shop full of ticking clocks. I tapped my foot impatiently and stared out at the sleeping street, imagining what it would be like to stand outside in air that wasn't filled with the heavy stench of ammonia from the ultrasonic.
Picking up my mug, I sipped air and deeply regretted agreeing to look after the shop while Dave was away. I readjusted my skirt, smiling, thinking about how Reece would look at me if he saw me in it. I thought about how he would have avoided looking at my ass, and how his cheeks would have flushed red. Warmth bloomed under my skirt as I remembered how he blushed and stared at the ground when my shirt came up the other night.
The lightbulb blew, finally giving up.
I sighed in the darkness before reaching for my phone to use as a light. There was a message from Reece.
Reece: Hey. Can I bring you dinner? I won't distract you (Winky face).
* Winky face? What does that mean? Does he want to distract me? Maybe it was an accidental winky face?' *
After typing out different ways of saying "You can distract me if you want to" and "Can you come here and do that thing with your tongue again," I settled on the message.
Yes please (love heart).
After hitting send, I headed to the storeroom for a new lightbulb. I scanned the cluttered shelves, which were piled high with clock parts and cleaning products.
I stood on my tippy toes and shone my phone light on the top shelf. In the far corner was a box that read. "Lightbulbs". I reached for them with one arm. Damn these short legs. My fingertips barely tapped the edge of the box.
I grabbed the small ladder from the corner of the room and sat it in front of the shelf. I unzipped my heeled boots and tossed them to the side before carefully climbing up the ladder with my phone as a light in one hand.
While I searched, the harsh overhead light jolted on. I jumped, my feet slipping off the ladder. I fell backward into two familiar warm arms, holding my hips as they guided me to solid ground.
"Oh no," Reece's sigh was followed by a splattering sound echoing through the room.
I turned to face him.
"Hi..." I managed before bursting into laughter at the sight of two containers of curry face down at different ends of the room and orange splattered across the floor.
"I'll clean it," he said, letting go of my waist to tug my skirt so it was no longer riding up from the fall. My cheeks burned as I watched him fix his eyes on a spot on the floor, desperately avoiding looking at me.
* What was he afraid of? *
The room fell silent. I could hear his breathing and I remembered how his breath felt on my clit. Hot and intoxicating. Reece knelt on the floor, picked up a container, and tried to use the lid to scoop up some of the curry.
That's when I realized just how much food was everywhere. Some splatters had made their way onto the shelves. Reece even had some on his shirt collar.
Laughter streamed out of me. Reece looked up at me, his wide brown eyes scrunched in a smile.
"I'm sorry, I forgot you were a vampire that fears all light sources," he teased, remembering all the times I'd make him turn off the overhead lights and use a small lamp for board game nights.
I was so tired that laughter continued to pour out of me until I was breathless and holding my hands on Reece's chest for balance.
"You shouldn't work late. You've lost the plot," he chuckled, holding my hands against his chest.
I stopped laughing, silenced by feeling the rise and fall of his chest and the fresh smell of his aftershave.
*Was he clean-shaven for me? *
He cleared his throat and stepped away, fixing his eyes on the floor.
* Is this what it was going to be like now? Now that we'd had sex once, would he just avoid looking at me every time we touched? The winky face he texted must have been an accident. *
My hands fell to my sides, aching to feel him again.
I turned away, pulled some paper towels and spray from the shelf, and passed them to him.
"Cheers," he replied, still avoiding eye contact.
"I just have to grab a lightbulb, and then I'll help you." I could hear the disappointment in my voice.
* I wish he'd just look at me like he did the other night. *
He looked up at me and searched my eyes for what was wrong. I hated it when he looked at me like he was trying to read my mind. At least he was looking at me, I guess.
"I'm sorry about our dinner. I should have let you work in peace," he'd heard the disappointment in my voice, too.
"I'm not upset about that," I replied, staring him straight in his eyes, hoping he'd read my thoughts.
"What are you upset about?" he looked puzzled.
"Nothing," I replied. Accepting the fact that if we continued this relationship, our friendship would be ruined. I wasn't going to tell him I was disappointed that he wouldn't just wrap his arms around me and kiss me.
He crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on me, an eyebrow raised in question.
"Well, why is everything awkward now? I feel like the other night has made you act all weird around me," I blurted out, crossing my arms like his.
He placed the paper towel on a nearby shelf and strode towards me. I backed up as he walked towards me, pressing me between himself and the ladder. He stared at my lips silently before brushing my hair behind my ear, gripping both my braids in one hand, pulling me in, and pressing his lips against mine. My body tingled all over when he nibbled my lip gently between kisses.
*So, the winky face was intentional. *
I slid my hands up his shirt and grabbed his waist, he tugged my plats harder in response.
"Why are you always wearing a shirt?" I pulled away and smiled up at him.
He stepped away from me, slipped his shirt over his head, grabbed my waist, held his lips up to my ear, and whispered, "Why are you always wearing underwear?" His breath on my ear sent goosebumps across my skin.
I looked right at him and slid my underwear off under my skirt. Heat pulsed between my legs as I watched him bite his lip.
I stepped out of my blue G-string, picked them up, and threw them at him. He instinctively put his arms up, and I watched his eyes widen as he comprehended what he was holding. He stood there, staring at me, cupping my underwear in both of his hands like they were some precious jewel.
"You know I was getting a new lightbulb before you came. It was very rude of you to distract me." I saw him lick his lips before I turned back to the ladder and started climbing.
I reached high with one arm and leaned forward, knowing exactly what view I was giving him.