Chapter 10 #2
I shake the pan, making sure the meat is cooked through.
Tyler rounds the counter and comes to stand next to me. He looks over my shoulder like he did the other day. I can feel the heat coming off him from this close, and ironically, it makes me shiver.
“Was it too weird?” he asks suddenly.
“What?” I twist my neck to look at him and go still when our lips almost brush. Tyler’s eyes widen—he’s probably doing an impression of me—and he takes a step back with a nervous chuckle.
“Me having someone over.” He makes a face. “It was weird for you wasn’t it.”
Surely, he’s asking out of courtesy. Not because he suspects that I…feel anything for him. Right?
“Well, she scared me because I had earbuds in and couldn’t hear her,” I admit with a short laugh. “But you told me before I moved in, so…” I shrug.
Tyler frowns. “I know. I just wasn’t sure what to think when you didn’t reply to my text. I figured you were in the middle of a lecture.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. I actually didn’t notice until I was home.”
“Ah shit.” He runs a hand over his face. “That must’ve been a shock, coming here to…” He waves a hand towards his bedroom. “That.”
“It’s okay,” I reply, with the biggest lie to have ever been uttered. “I’ve had roommates before, and they always had their girls over.” That part is true, but I never pined after any of my roommates. “And Lisa was nice. I was a little surprised when she said she had a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, we help each other out. It works well.”
“That’s…good.” I resist asking about how many women Tyler has ready to help him out if needed, and instead give the pan one last shake, then switch the stove off. “It’s ready.”
Tyler perks up. “Awesome. I’ll—” He stops. “Did you burn yourself?”
“Hm? Oh.” I totally forgot after Lisa gave me a fright. “Just a bit of oil splattering, I don’t even feel it anymore.” Or I didn’t until now. The stinging comes back with a vengeance.
“Yeah, no, we’re looking after that first.” He takes me by the elbow and gently ushers me towards the sink.
“It’s okay, I can—”
He ignores me, running the tap and checking the temp. Then he nudges my hand under it. “Keep it there for at least five minutes.”
“That’s such a waste of water.”
“It’s not a waste when you’re injured. Stay, I’ll get a first aid kit.”
“I swear I’m— Never mind.” He’s already gone, but comes back shortly, and with a proud smile.
“Found it!”
He dries my hand, rubs ointment into it and covers the red, tender spots with gauze. He does all of that so gently, so carefully, that my heart shatters all over again.
“There, all done!” He packs up the kit and sets it aside. “Just have a seat, I’ll plate up.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Shush. Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder.”
I clamp my mouth shut as the image fills my head. The image of him doing just that before he throws me on the bed, tears my clothes off, spreads my legs and thrusts his big co—
I practically run to the couch. It makes him laugh, probably because he thinks I took his warning as a threat. Little does he know it’s going straight to my ever-growing spank bank.
I manage to mitigate my situation during the time it takes him to get our plates and drinks ready. He sits next to me on the couch, still shirtless, and hands me a plate.
“Thanks.”
“Thank you. It smells amazing. I love stir fry.” With that, he stabs a piece of beef and a green bean with his fork.
“Duly noted,” I whisper to myself, then gear up for feedback, no less nervous than the first time I cooked for us.
“Holy shit.” He lets out a groan and licks his lips. “This must be the best stir fry I’ve ever had. How are you so good at this?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, going berserk on the food.
Meanwhile I fight through a mini stroke. Because why did he have to say it. Like. That?
I mumble something, then busy myself with my own portion, while dying a painful death on the inside. Death by sexual frustration and longing.
Somehow, I survive. Tyler takes our empty plates to the sink, promises to wash them later, then joins me again and suggests a movie. I don’t have the willpower to say no.
“How was class?” he asks during the opening credits.
I smile, excited to tell him about it. Then the smile slips when I remember what happened when I got excited earlier.
“Pretty good. We learned a new technique, it was really interesting.” I leave it at that.
“Oh? Do tell?”
“Just…a new sequence of strokes and pressure points for the neck and shoulders.”
“Oh, do you need a guinea pig? My shoulders are killing me.”
Okay, seriously? What deity did I piss off? Why is the world set on destroying me today? I know I was the one to offer massages in the first place, but that was meant for the times when I feel emotionally stable. Which, granted, isn’t that often, but it’s definitely not today.
I summon a smile. “Sure.”
I simultaneously hesitate and also can’t wait to put my hands on that gorgeous, strong body, but in the end I don’t get to.
“Jesus, I’m an idiot. Never mind, you’re injured.”
“Huh?” I look at my hand. “Oh, that’s nothing.” I don’t know why I’m arguing.
Tyler shakes his head. “Another time. When it’s not inflamed anymore.”
“Okay.” I’m annoyed with myself for feeling disappointed. “There’s, um, I have news. Although I’m not sure I should be saying it like that because it’s not news to you. It doesn’t have anything to do with you, but I got the, well, news today and—”
“Jamie.” Tyler’s giving me a full-blown smile, eyes soft with amusement. “What’s the news?”
I let out a breath, then take in another. “My STI tests came back. All clear.”
There’s a beat of silence as Tyler processes the news. Then he smiles, much softer than before.
“That’s great, Jamie. I’m glad everything came back okay. Were you…expecting different results?”
“I had no idea what to expect. I never really had to take one before.” I might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but even I wouldn’t fuck a stranger without protection. “But then I found out David was cheating on me, so I prepared for the worst.”
Tyler’s brows are pulled together. Then he sighs. “Your ex is such a douchebag.”
I smile, genuinely this time. “You can say that again. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Well, there must’ve been something about him that pulled you in initially. Most people don’t let their…douchiness show right off the bat. So don’t blame yourself for not seeing it.”
It’s sweet how much faith he has in me. Ready to jump to my defense.
What would he say if he knew that the main reason for being with David was that I was so lonely I could barely take it.
And then, at some point I couldn’t at all.
All it took was a smile, a compliment, and feeling the heat of another person’s body against mine.
Even if it left me cold in the aftermath.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” is all I say, pretending to be invested in the movie. I can feel Tyler’s gaze on me even without looking.
“If you don’t wanna talk about him, just say the word, but…I meant to ask, how did you meet?”
I’m surprised he hasn’t asked before. But then, why would he? Why should he be concerned with my love life, or the lack thereof?
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind.”
It’s true. The sting has subsided since I moved in with Tyler. Probably because I’m too busy pining over him to agonize over my first relationship, or whatever that disaster was.
“It’s nothing special. We were both business majors at the time and ended up doing a group presentation together.”
“Wait, don’t tell me.” Tyler holds up a hand. “You did everything and he just hitched a ride.”
Is it obvious that David is a freeloading bastard, or that I’m an enabler?
“You’re half right,” I concede. “He didn’t contribute much, but I didn’t do all of it. Nat was in the group with us.”
“And Nat is…?”
“His girlfriend. Apparently. Though I can’t tell you how long they’ve been together.”
“Oh shit,” Tyler catches on instantly. “That’s the one he cheated on you with?”
Good question. After I gave it some (a lot of) thought, I realized I’m missing a big portion of the whole picture.
“Technically, yes.”
“Technically,” Tyler repeats incredulously. “I’d say practically.”
For some reason, that draws a chuckle out of me.
“What I mean is, chances are it was also the other way around. Me and Nat, we weren’t besties or anything, but we were friends.
We’d study together—at least before I dropped out.
We’d get coffee sometimes, see a movie. She even tried to make me into her wingman once.
” I grin at the memory. It was fun, even though it flopped drastically.
“It’s true what you said—people are good at hiding who they really are—but I don’t think she would’ve stabbed me in the back like that.
I really think she was, and probably still is, in the dark. ”