Lee gets me up for work. I forgot to set my alarm, a rookie move, but to be fair, I'm not used to sleeping over someplace else so often. I think I've spent more nights at Lee's house in the few weeks we've been dating than I have in my entire life except when I lived with Jace, which in my opinion doesn't count. Lee doesn't even have to work, he set his alarm to make sure I didn't oversleep, which is sweet, and appreciated.
And, like the amazing person he is, he has breakfast for me, some type of orange and bran muffin that tastes better than it looks and a cup of coffee, black. I look at the clock and sigh, I don't want to leave.
"You know, I could just call off..." I suggest, refusing to get up from the table until the last second.
"You're not calling off," he tells me, looking up from his phone. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of me."
"I'm not gonna get in trouble if I call off today," I say. "I mean, I have sick time."
Lee gives me a look and I sigh. "Is this because of what happened with your favorite apprentice?"
I flinch, he's hit the nail on the head. "Not just. I mean, I never want to leave your house, Lee, so there's that, too. But... Maybe a little." Maybe a lot, but I'm trying not to think about it.
The genuine smile he beams at me makes my heart skip a beat. "Well, I never want you to leave, either, but we both have jobs..."
I sigh. "I wish our schedules matched up better. I hate not seeing you for days, and I hate working on days you're off, like...." I trail off, knowing it sounds clingy, but it's too early for my filter to have booted up yet.
"It just makes the time we get together better," he says, and I wish I had his confidence and upbeat attitude, but I don't on a normal day, and especially not today. "We have tonight, if you still wanna-"
"I wanna," I interrupt before he can dismiss it. "I do. I mean, I'll just come back here, after I grab some clean clothes and stuff."
"You're more than welcome to use my washer, if you needed."
"Maybe later, I didn't bring a lot with me, like, I didn't want to assume..."
"It's fine, or, if you wanted to have some time by yourself, I get it.'
I shrug. "I have enough alone time as it is. Still, I need to get to my house for some essentials. You really don't mind me sleeping over all the time?"
He blushes. "Nope." He looks like he wants to say something else, but he doesn't.
I'm suddenly salivating, thinking about Lee's perfect cock. "Do we have time for a, um, morning, um, fun times?"
Lee tilts his head and considers it, then looks at the clock and frowns. "As much as I love the thought of you deepthroating me before work, you're gonna be late at this rate."
It makes my heart a lighter, but then it sinks again when I check the time again. I sigh. "I guess I should get going..."
"It'll be fine, just do your job and keep your head down, right?"
I shrug with half a shoulder. "I guess, but..."
"But?"
I sigh again, tired of sighing, but here we are. "But... Donnie's mad at me. I've never had a fight with her before, and, she's like, my only advocate, other than Bill. I just... I really don't want to go. Like, just for this week, right? Okay?"
He shakes his head. "Nothing is gonna be different next week, even if you call off for the rest of this week, right?"
He's right, and I hate it, but it's true. "I'll just find a new job."
"Now you're overreacting," he chides, but gently. I frown and he stands up, then takes my hand and pulls me to my feet. "Go to work so you can get the day done and then we can hang out tonight?"
One more sigh just for good measure. "Fine," I relent, feeling like a petulant teenager. "But I get to say 'I told you so' when my day sucks."
"Try not to already have your day pre-planned as 'bad', and you may not have a bad day?" Lee suggests.
I go to argue, then stop, pursing my lips, annoyed at myself. "Fine. I'll try, how's that?"
"Good enough." Lee smiles with half of his mouth, a teasing smile. "Maybe I'll reward you if you're a good boy today..."
I don't know what to say to that, and in order to keep my little man from sprouting I turn on my heels and find my boots. I look over my shoulder as I'm lacing up my left boot to find Lee leaning against the wall, a steaming mug of coffee in his hands. It's going to be etched into my memory forever, he's so sexy and beautiful and amazing in this moment my heart seizes and stops, then restarts faster than before.
I lace up the other boot, avoiding staring at Lee, I could stay right where I was and stare at him all day. It's tempting, but I stand up and grab my keys off the hook by the door. "So, yeah. Going. To work."
Lee chuckles as he walks towards me. He leans in as my hand closes over the doorknob and kisses my cheek, a quick peck, but it has me immediately longing for more. "Get going, then," Lee says, and I can tell by the tone of his voice he's teasing me.
I love it. "See you later?"
"Yup. Try to have a good day," he says, then sips his coffee.
"Will do," I say, and I really do mean it.
I wanna say something else, but I don't know what, and Lee looks the same, so after a few seconds of awkward silence I open the door. I immediately get blasted with a face full of heavy, humid air and want to turn around, shut the door, and never leave.
Instead, because I'm a freaking adult who can handle shit like bad weather and stupid interns and upset work friends, I march to my car. I don't even look back, because if I do, I'm worried I'll just curl up in Lee's arms and forget I even had a job.