CHAPTER 16 ALEX
I watch the door close behind Mina and sigh deeply. This has been, without a doubt, the deepest, most intimate, best first date I’ve ever been on. Normally, months go by before I let a woman into my apartment, let alone spend the night and wear my clothes, but this is different. She is different. Mina feels like home.
I glance at the time. It has been a whole minute since she left, and the apartment already feels empty and cold. I fight the urge to call her up right then, to talk to her during her ride back to her place. No, I don’t want her to think I’m some stage-5 clinger.
Instead, I focus my attention on the details of my surroundings. I tidy our dishes from coffee and breakfast and clean up the Scrabble board. I move to the bedroom and make the bed, debating for a split second on washing the sheets. No, I’ll leave them. I want to smell her in my bed for as long as I can. I’ll savor it for another night.
My phone dings softly and I look over at the screen. It’s a text from Mina. I snatch the phone up to read it.
My heart flutters in my chest, and I want to pour out every sappy feeling coursing in my veins. Instead, I opt for brevity.
After I hit send, I re-read it. Was I too brusque? Will she think I’m being cold? A wave of doubt washes over me, and I quickly type a second text.
There. That’s better.
Her response is quick and calms my nerves.
She follows up the text with another: a kissing-face emoji, and my heart flutters again. Dammit, why are you acting like a teenager? I scold myself. It has been a long time since I’ve felt this way about anyone, and it is definitely freaking me out a little bit. I’ve never believed in soulmates before meeting her, but now… now I’m convinced they are real, and that she is mine.
I send one last text, a single kissing face emoji, then turn and head toward the shower. I’m reluctant to wash her scent off me, but I know I’ll have to do it eventually. I might as well just get it over with, then figure out how I’m going to spend the rest of my day.
It has been hours since Mina left, and I feel like I’ve done absolutely nothing with the rest of my day. I was supposed to get my hair cut today, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave my apartment. I took a nap, holding her pillow close, breathing in the lingering scent of her shampoo till I fell asleep.
Now I’m eating dinner and watching the evening news, wearing the pajamas she wore in my bed last night. Part of me wonders if this is too much, but some small part of my brain tells me it’s just right.
My phone rings, breaking the relative quiet of my evening. It’s her. I answer it, desperate not to sound as breathless as I am feeling.
“Hey!”
“Hey, what’s up?”
“I miss you,” I blurt. “Turns out, my evenings are much more pleasant with you in them.”
“Aw you’re the sweetest.”
“So, when are we doing that again?” Damn, do I sound too eager?
“I’ll have to check my schedule; you know how crazy my hours are.”
“Yeah. We’ll figure something out.”
“Hopefully soon!” The audio changes and her voice suddenly sounds more distant. “Hang on, I’m putting you on speaker for a second.”
“No problem. What you up to that you need two hands for? Something naughty?”
“Oh my god, no,” she laughs. “I’m feeding my fish.”
“Oh, fish? Do tell.”
“Well, I’ve got a parrot cichlid named Iago. He lives with three clown loaches, Larry, Curly, and Moe, and a bristle nose pleco named Hank. And then I have a beautiful black, white and orange koi beta named Raja. Separate tank for him, of course. He doesn’t play as well with others.”
“Sheesh, you’ve got a whole menagerie,” I laugh. “Which one is your favorite?”
“That’s like asking me to pick a favorite child,” she pouts. “I love them all for different reasons.”
“Fair enough. I’ve never had a pet.”
“Wait, never?”
“Nope. What with foster care, then working non-stop, I’ve never had the time to really invest in one.”
“That makes sense. It’s a shame, though. Animals are great. I love the fish because they are pretty low maintenance, and they are so soothing to watch. They help me unwind after a long day.”
“Someday I hope to have my own little zoo.”
“Sounds like a plan! I hope you can.”
I hear a muffled knock on the door, and then a voice I don’t recognize. Then Mina’s voice hushed and strained. “Hang on a second, it’s my Mom.”