Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Erika
Me:
I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch.
Lucia:
Phew, she’s alive. We’ve been so worried about you.
Sofia:
I, for one, was not. Lucia was fretting more than me.
Lucia:
Liar.
Sofia:
OK, maybe I’ve paced the floors for a little too long, but I knew you were fine because Lily called us both.
Lucia:
How are you feeling this fine Friday morning?
Me:
Great. Like I can breathe again.
Lucia:
We’re glad you saw the light.
Sofia:
And that’s all we’re saying on the matter.
Lucia:
It’s none of our business, but we always knew the two of you were on different wavelengths. Marriage wouldn’t have fixed those differences.
Me:
It took me too long to figure that out.
Sofia:
Who cares? I’m just glad you did. You weren’t aligned with one another.
Me:
We weren’t.
Lucia:
There’s someone else out there who is your forever person.
Me:
I hope so.
Sofia:
We know so.
Lucia:
We know WHO.
Me:
You know who? What?
Lucia:
It’s so obvious.
Me:
Is it?
Sofia:
Don’t play stupid, girl. You know exactly who we’re talking about.
Lucia:
I’ll give you a clue… the first letter of his name is the same as mine.
Sofia:
His name rhymes with sexy as fuck.
Me:
Leon doesn’t rhyme with that.
Lucia:
Ah, so you do know who it is then?
Sofia:
I knew she knew.
Lucia:
We knew she knew.
Me:
You two are so annoying. Will you ever grow up?
Sofia:
Never.
Lucia:
Lily said you’re staying at Leon’s place?
Me:
Yes.
Sofia:
And?
Me:
There is nothing to tell.
Sofia:
Are you sure about that?
Me:
Well, there might be a couple of things that have happened and been said. Maybe. Or perhaps I’m reading too much into it.
Sofia:
I knew it.
Me:
We’re going on the honeymoon together.
Lucia:
Hell, yeah. Do you plan on fucking his brains out?
Lucia:
I hope you do.
Me:
You two are the worst bridesmaids ever.
Sofia:
You’re wrong about that. We threw you an epic bachelorette party.
Me:
Since when do bachelorette parties mean telling the bride it’s a spa weekend but take her to a sex club instead?
Sofia:
That was a great night, don’t lie.
Me:
I’m still traumatized.
Lucia:
You’re a terrible liar, Erika.
Sofia:
I learned a few things that night.
Me:
Me too.
Lucia:
Me three. Now you need to find a new distraction to practice on and do the things that stripper could do with her tongue, Erika. Ask Leon if he’s willing to help you.
Sofia:
That was so hot.
Me:
I haven’t had sex in so long, I think my vagina has healed up.
Lucia:
Please tell me that’s not true.
Me:
It’s the truth. I made up some lame excuse to Huck about saving ourselves for the wedding night.
Sofia:
Ouch, that’s harsh.
Me:
I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Lucia:
Have you spoken to him?
Me:
He won’t pick up. I left him a voicemail.
Sofia:
He’ll forgive you over time, and he’ll thank you for this later.
Lucia:
And it’s not like you share the same friendship circles, so at least you don’t have to worry about bumping into him.
Sofia:
It’s time to move on and find your forever.
Me:
It’s too soon for that. I need time.
Sofia:
How long are you going to wait to tell him?
Me:
Tell who, what?
Sofia:
Tell Leon how you feel about him.
Me:
I don’t know what you’re talking about. Byeeee.
I close our group chat, ignoring the persistent notifications warning me that they are spiraling because I’m snubbing them.
Still in bed, I scan Leon’s spare room and rub my eyes before letting out a long yawn.
Friday.
Usually, my days are busy with work, and on my days off, I try to stay on top of my admin, laundry, and sleep.
But it’s yet another day where I have nothing to do and all day to do it.
Heaven.
I lift my arms above my head and give my entire body a good stretch.
Last night was the best sleep I’ve had in months.
Before the wedding, I would lie awake, even when I was exhausted, just thinking about the big day, and it completely filled me with dread.
It was like a parasite feeding on my worry.
It grew bigger and bigger each day, and the knot in my stomach became so large that I could barely eat the day before the wedding.
The contrast today is undeniable. The sun shines brighter, like a halo around the closed drapes. The birds sound happier, and more importantly, there’s no nausea or tightness in my stomach, which had been hanging around like an unwanted bug.
Instead, I’m calm, with a steady energy that feels a lot like happiness fizzing through my body.
Today is going to be a good day.
A firm knock on my bedroom door makes me sit up in bed and pull the comforter up to cover my tits as I only have a thin camisole top on. “You can come in, Leon,” I call.
He pushes the door open and enters, wearing workout shorts that sit low on his hips and nothing else.
Holy fuckballs, come to Momma.
“You should be on the cover of a magazine,” I mutter, quieter than a whisper.
My gaze locks onto the faint trail of golden hair sprinkled down his chest that travels between the ridges of his sculpted abs as if pointing toward treasure.
My tongue darts across my lips, heat pooling in my core as I follow that tempting path, right to where it vanishes beneath the waistband of his shorts.
Leon’s packing, and the other day in his bathroom, I felt exactly what was waiting for me there.
“I would need to do months of training to prepare for that.” Leon looks down at himself.
Yikes, he heard me. I decide to go with it. “Stop it. You look like you’re still in your thirties, but you’re sexier now than when you were younger.” It’s the truth.
He grabs his stomach and pinches an inch of muscle and nothing else. “I’m out of shape.”
“You’re pretty perfect, Leon.”
My comment makes him jerk his head in shock. “Perfect?”
“Yeah.” I work on bodies, with bodies, all day, every day, trying to keep them alive and healthy, and Leon has the most beautiful body I have ever laid eyes on. “Trust me. Humans are my thing, and you sit at the top spot of the hot man scale.”
Leon walks toward the bed and sits on the edge of the mattress, a smirk playing across his lips. “Hot man scale? What the fuck is that?”
“It’s something Lucia and Sofia made up a long time ago.” It’s not even a real thing; I just made that up to hide my hiccup.
I’m a grown woman acting like a teenager this morning. He’s the only man who turns my brain cells to soup.
“And you put me at the top of it? Really?”
“They did, not me.” My body temperature rises a few degrees at my tall tale.
He tilts his head to the side and narrows his eyes. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.” I know he can see through my fib.
“So, who is at the top of your hot man scale?” Leon wraps his fingers around the last three words in air quotes.
“I’m not telling you.” I find the drapes interesting as I try to hide my embarrassment.
“You can tell me if it’s me. It’s okay to like me that way.”
“I don’t like you like that,” I bite back a little too loudly.
He scratches his morning scruff with a half-smile. “How long have you been telling yourself that, Erika?”
For as long as I can remember.
Giving me no chance to reply, he interjects, “In fact, don’t answer that.” He shifts the subject. “You have three choices this morning. You can either lie in bed and read all morning, join me for a run, or I can make you breakfast before I go out for a run.”
“I have a better idea; I’ll join you for a run, then you can make me breakfast when we get back.” I’m so glad I asked Lily to grab my running gear when she packed my things. Running is my ultimate mood booster and always clears my mind.
“Deal. That way, I can make sure you eat properly.”
“I’m not heartbroken, Leon. I’m far from it.” I’m happier than a bee in summertime. Waking up in Leon’s house is also a bonus; I can picture myself waking up like this every day with him.
At night, when I go to sleep, I think maybe I will feel differently about him and that my dreams will wash him away. But they haven’t, because being around him has only magnified my desire for him tenfold. Leon has been lying dormant in my heart, waiting patiently to reappear.
Good morning, obsession. Oh, how I’ve missed you.
Some part of me hates it too. It’s a cruel yet beautiful type of pain I inflict on myself; I’m like a siren singing her song, but he never hears it.
Leon’s posture relaxes. “It took courage to do what you did, and it makes me so fucking happy that you’re still sure about it.” He pats the bed before standing and walking to the door. “Now get up, get dressed, and meet me downstairs in ten.” Just as he’s about to leave, he turns back. “And Erika?”
“Yeah?”
“Just in case you were wondering. On my hot as fuck woman scale, you’re not just right at the top of it, you’re the only woman on it.”