"You were right," Greg said after chewing his mouthful. "Rufino's is better than Mama Corlina's."
Maya nodded in a way that said, "Told you so,"as she took her own forkful. It wasn't a fancy place. A slightly sticky clear plastic sheet covered the red and white checkered table cloth. There were paper napkins in a cracked metal dispenser. Bread was served on a flimsy plastic tray and the slow moving ceiling fan cast weird shadows across the room. Greg had loudly hummed the Godfather theme song as soon as they sat down, which made Maya laugh even as she looked over her shoulder to see if the waiter had heard him. Still, there was no denying: THIS was some amazing Italian food.
It was Friday night. Their work week was done and they had no demands for the next few days. They should have been quite care-free, and their so-far light-hearted conversation might indicate they were. But, Maya's pleasant voice was covering some real anxiety. It wasn't yet to the point of tearing her apart from the inside, but it was steadily gnawing at her. She looked down at her plate where her fork moved a piece of pasta around a small puddle of sauce. "There's something I need to... talk to you about."
"Sure," Greg answered with a calm, neutral face. He held his own fork down to his plate, showing her that she had his attention.
She took a deep breath, "I don't want to live with you." She looked up at him, but his face told her nothing... so her eyes immediately darted back down. "I love my apartment. It's perfect for me and I worked really hard to be able to afford it and I don't want to give that up and... I don't want to be around you all the time. I mean, sometimes I do. A LOT of the time I do. You're great, but... I need, um... time to myself sometimes and I want to be able to just go home by myself or... um... yeah."
Her words had been steadily coming out faster and faster until she abruptly realized she had nothing more to say.
Greg nodded, making sure she really was finished, before he responded. "Okay."
She blinked, somehow unprepared for the simple answer. "Okay?"
He nodded once more, "Okay."
Maya's eyes squinted slightly, "What are you thinking?"
He paused to genuinely consider the question and give her a sincere answer. "I'm thinking... that probably wasn't easy for you to say... Guessing it probably took some real courage to speak your mind like that... um... Thank you for being so honest and I admire you for being brave."
Whatever she'd been expecting him to say, that was not it. Her mouth hung open for a beat, "Yeah."
He went on, "Look, Maya. I like you. I mean really like you and I really like being around you, but I care about you feeling comfortable. As far as I'm concerned, you can stay at my place as often as you want and when you don't want to, you don't have to. It's totally gonna be up to you. Okay?"
Maya laughed, a sweet but somewhat nervous laugh of acknowledgement, "Okay."
He nodded again before lifting his fork for another bite, "Okay." It's funny how many different things that one little word could mean. About a minute passed by before Greg started to sing, softly at first then quickly getting louder.
"I'm not talking bout mo-VIN IN
And I don't wanna change your life
But there's a warm wind blowin' the stars around
And I'd really love to see you tonight."
Maya's laugh was hard enough to melt her tension away. Suddenly, she felt great. "You... are a really terrible singer."
He bobbed his head in agreement and took another big bite. The rest of the meal was pleasant, playful... and easier as far as Maya was concerned. When their plates were taken away, Greg held eye contact, "So, two questions. Tonight... Do you want to go home?"
She considered, then shook her head, "I want to stay at your place tonight."
He smiled calmly, "Okay.
She matched his smile and, for a while, the two lovers just held each other's gaze. Then, she remembered, "What's the second question?"
"The IMPORTANT question... What do you want for dessert?"
*****
At Greg's house, they'd agreed on a movie called, "About Time," with Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams and Bill Nighy. Greg made Maya a mug of her favorite hot apple cider, which she cradled in both hands for its soothing warmth, sipping it slowly. They sat comfortably beside one another on the couch, not touching, but close.
The movie was quite good, and Maya was truly enjoying it, but there was something bothering her. It confused her at first, like an itch on the inside that she couldn't explain but that wouldn't go away. Part of her mind was distracted trying to figure it out. It wasn't until the slow piano music began to play over the credits that she was able to grasp it. Her anxiety quickly returned and her eyes fell to the floor.
Greg stood up and stretched his arms, yawning quietly. He noticed she hadn't moved, "Where you at?"
"I... um... I was wondering if... if you wouldn't mind if we... didn't have sex tonight."
His response was almost automatic, "Of course."
She looked up at him, not quite sure how to process that, "Really?"
"Yeah. Maya, I never want to pressure you into anything. It's always okay to tell me what you want... or what you don't." The way he said it was so casual, so matter-of-fact.
"Thanks for that."
"Do you... still want to be in the bed with me?"
She was sheepish, embarrassed, "Can I?"
"Absolutely. You're pretty great company in bed." It seemed that tonight he was particularly good at saying exactly the right thing to soothe her.
Maya got to use the restroom first. One of his tee shirts was already folded and sitting on the counter, waiting for her. He knew how much she loved wearing his shirts. The sight of it, knowing how sweet and thoughtful he'd been, made her melt a little. She removed everything except her panties and put the shirt on, taking a moment to observe herself in the mirror before she came out and sat on the side of his bed. Unofficially, but for all intents and purposes, it was her side of the bed since she'd slept on that side each time she stayed the night.
He took his turn in the restroom and came out with a slightly perplexed look on his face, "Would you feel more... comfortable if I stayed dressed?"
Her face scrunched in contemplation. He always slept naked. It was something they'd talked about before she ever came her. Making him change that didn't seem right. It didn't feel fair. "No... I'm Okay. Thanks for offering, though."
He nodded, "Absotively." He turned off the bedroom lights then faced away from her as his clothes came off and he tossed them into the hamper. She watched his back, lit by only by the light from outside the bedroom window. She never saw the front of his body as he slid under the covers.
Maya's heart was beginning to race. She did genuinely believe he wouldn't try to seduce her. She'd never once known him to lie to her, and he wasn't lying to her now... But there was something about knowing he could. He was so close to her and he was already naked. If he chose to have his way with her, she wouldn't be able to stop him. She looked up at the ceiling, trying to breathe slowly, to force herself to calm down.
"I had a dream about Rachel McAdams once."
She blinked rapidly and turned her head to look at him, "A good dream?"
"Meh," he shrugged against the pillows. "It must have been sometime after I saw The Notebook. I was lying on top of her and I kissed her but I could clearly see she wasn't into it. She wasn't even mad just like... totally uninterested in my existence. That's all I remember."
Maya burst out laughing. Again, he'd instantly and effortlessly melted her tension. "Okay. If Rachel McAdams WAS into you, who would you pick? Me or her?" The question was purely and harmlessly playful.
