Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ROME
The number of times I’ve asked the internet for romantic date ideas the last two days is bordering on obsessive, but I want to get this right, and I’m not creative enough to come up with something amazing on my own.
Dex and his damn notebook. I can’t believe after that expensive dinner, he gave me only two points. A C minus and a kiss on the forehead.
Asshole.
Although…feeling his soft lips pressing against my skin did something to me I don’t want to think about. So I don’t. I shove that aside for later and try to focus on where I went wrong.
I thought the entire dinner idea was great. I mean, I know I lack in the communication department, but fuck, I tried. I even talked about Paris. But it wasn’t enough.
I need to figure out something creative to do with him, something that will knock his socks off and let me blow him at the end of it. The internet is lacking in creativity, so I end up on Leaf’s porch out of sheer desperation.
‘Hey!’ he says happily, tripping over a rake as he makes his way toward me. He’s wearing short shorts and a thin tank top, sweat lining his skin. His hair is a little wild, as if I caught him right after having sex.
‘Hi. Bad time?’ I ask, and he rolls his eyes.
‘If you mean bad like how Michael dug a hole in my new planters, then yes. Bad time. But other than that, it’s fine. I’m totally fine.’
I arch an eyebrow at him, not really believing him but deciding it’s probably best not to ask.
‘Thorne here?’
‘No, he’s out grocery shopping. He said I need a real meal tonight. Apparently, cheese and crackers don’t cut it. I mean, what heathen thinks that? Cheese is life.’ I stare at him, and he waves me inside. ‘Come on. I’ll make you a drink.’
‘It’s noon.’
‘Fuck noon!’ he says, flipping off the sky as we move through the house.
I take a seat at the island as he gets to work, making me some kind of alcoholic drink in a shaker. As he does, he peppers me with questions.
‘So why you here? Just show up? Very old-fashioned Deaf of you.’
‘Need advice.’
He rubs his hands together and then gets back to work. ‘Tell me. I am guru.’ He pauses and then asks, ‘Sign for guru?’
‘No idea. Maybe Buddha?’
He stares at me. ‘I think more like teacher.’
I shrug, and he shakes his head. ‘I’m getting off point. Go on. I’m listening.’ That sign is near his eye instead of his ear.
‘So, me and Dex.’
‘You mean Sex.’ I glower at him, and he waves his hands around. ‘Sorry. Very serious me.’
I doubt that very much, but I let him continue making the drinks while I explain. ‘He wants to date me.’
Leaf’s eyes widen.
‘He wants more than fucking, so I took him on a date, and he graded me for it.’
Leaf nearly drops the shaker on the floor. ‘Grade? Like a teacher?’ I nod, and his lips curl up in laughter. As he pours the pink drink into martini glasses, I can see his eyes welling up with tears.
Fucker.
He slides one my way.
‘What this?’
‘Pomegranate martini. Safe.’
I sniff it, and it doesn’t smell terrible, so I take a small sip. ‘Not bad.’
‘Thank you. Now, go on. Tell me more. I want details.’
I tell him all about the date and how I only scored two points at the end. Leaf laughs so hard at that, he chokes. I ignore him, continuing on, sipping my drink as I go.
‘I need advice on new date idea. I want A+, but I’m bad at coming up with things that are romantic.’
‘I can see that. You’re not creative.’
I make a face at him and finish off my drink. Damn, that was good.
‘Another?’ he asks, and I nod. ‘What did internet tell you?’
He gets back to work as I explain the ideas the web has given me. ‘Skydiving. Costco sampling. Bookstore role-playing.’ That last one has Leaf giggling. ‘All terrible,’ I tell him, and he nods.
‘I agree. Those all suck. Hmmm.’ He taps his fingers against his lips and hands me my second drink. It’s not as pink as the first time, and I wonder what happened. Not that I bother to ask.
‘You know what would be fun? The cat café is opening up. Grand opening, actually.’
‘I heard about that. What day?’
He pulls out his phone, clicks on the screen, and holds it up. ‘Friday. You should take Dex. Maybe cute cats will score you some extra points.’
I think about it. He might like it. It might get me more than a kiss on the forehead and a lingering boner for the rest of the night.
‘And you know, make some good conversation. Flirt a little.’
‘I hate flirting. I’m not good at it.’
‘I’ve noticed.’
I flip him off and slide my glass toward him.
‘You drink like a fish.’ I say nothing, and he grins at me. ‘I like that. We drink same. We strong men.’
I feel my mouth quirk up. ‘Like sailors.’
Leaf flexes his arm, and I reach over and squeeze it. My fingers nearly meet, and Leaf glowers at me.
‘That is very rude and not good flirting. Do not do this to Dex.’ He pauses and then adds, ‘Well, you can’t do this to Dex because he has big muscles.’
The way he signs that has me sinking back and thinking about those muscles. All of them. On every inch of his body.
‘Here,’ Leaf says, sitting back down and handing me another glass. It’s orange this time.
‘Why orange?’
‘No idea. Did nothing different.’
I doubt that, I think as I take another sip. It’s a little more bitter, but doable. Not bad, actually.
Leaf waves to get my attention. ‘Okay, now practice flirting with me. I will tell you if you suck.’
‘I’m not flirting with you. Thorne would kill me.’
‘No, my dead aunt would kill you. She would enjoy it too.’ I let out a laugh, and he grins back at me. ‘You should smile more. You have a nice smile,’ Leaf says.
‘I can do that. What else?’ I hate that I need so many tips, but I haven’t had to work hard to get a guy in bed in…god, years. Since my shit ex. Since I was actually looking for something like love.
Leaf pulls a face in thought. ‘Ask Dex about his day. And touch his arm like this.’ Leaf tries to reach out and touch me but gets yanked back and ends up stroking the island.
‘What’s going on?’ Thorne asks, his hands appearing in my vision. I blink up at him as Leaf continues to caress the granite.
Leaf grins up at his boyfriend. ‘I’m teaching him to flirt.’
Thorne’s eyebrows rise. ‘Why?’
‘He sucks at it.’
‘And stroking the counter is flirting?’
Leaf peers up at Thorne, and I can almost taste the desire crackling between them. I should leave. Problem is, I drank too much to go anywhere in my car.
‘You yanked me away from him, so I’m demonstrating. This is how I touch a dick,’ Leaf explains with a smirk, and Thorne coughs and looks away.
I grimace at that visual, finishing my drink and standing up.
‘Okay. You two can fuck now. I’m going to go outside to take a nap.
He made me too many,’ I tell Thorne. Or at least I try to.
I walk sideways out the back door and drop onto the porch swing that Thorne installed at one point.
It rocks me back and forth, and my eyes drift shut.
Flirt. Smile. Touch.
I can do that.
I think.
I hope.