Chapter 30
I fucking blew it.
It’s written all over her face.
Great. Just great. I should’ve kept my mouth shut, and it wouldn’t be so awkward right now.
“I should probably check the laundry.”
She nods. “When you get back, I can bandage your cut.”
“Okay,” I say, walking over to my bag for the ibuprofen. I swallow the pills without water. I leave the hotel room, walk down the hall, and take the stairs to the laundry room on the second floor. The laundry is a little damp. I close the dryer door and continue it.
Matt: I’m fucking blowing it
Harvey: What did you do?
Matt: She offered me blue balls, so I offered to fuck and she told me not to call it that
Harvey: You turned her off
Crew: Man, that’s tough
Matt: How the fuck do I recover?
Crew: What does she want to call it?
Matt: Making love
Harvey: She’s one of those. Tough on the outside but soft on the inside
Crew: Jesus Harv
Matt: Yeah, save the visuals
Harvey: You know what I mean
Harvey: She wants the romance, not just a hook up
Matt: What the fuck
Crew: Dude, this isn’t your first rodeo. You had Maddie
Matt: Maddie and I had an A to B relationship. This is way off
Harvey: True
Matt: I couldn’t tell my mom I broke up with Maddie, so Amber is standing in
Crew: What the fuck
Harvey: You didn’t mention that. I thought she was just going with you
Crew: Same
Matt: My mom thinks we’re together, so we’re faking it for the weekend
Harvey: Wait this is genius
Crew: It might be the ticket
Harvey: This is how you get her
Crew: Does she know you’re into her?
Matt: I don’t know
Crew: Shit bro, you have to know what you want first
Harvey: Yeah before we say anything more, what do you want?
I stare at the screen, glancing at the time. I take the clothes out of the dryer and walk back to the room. I can text them later because they’re right. I need to know what I want first. It’s clear that the answer is Amber, but in what form?
I knock on the door, hearing Amber’s voice. She must be on the phone with someone.
“What’s the password?” Amber teases, and I smirk.
“Black lace bra,” I call out.
She opens the door with a smug face but she quickly reaches for my cheek. “It’s bleeding again. Come here.”
I walk in, set the clothes on the bed, and sit. Her face is full of concern as she grabs a hand towel from the bathroom and the Target bag. She comfortably stands between my legs as she pats the cut. I stare into her concerned eyes, enjoying the closeness.
“Is your mom going to be upset about this?” she asks, surveying the cut. “It’s bruising now. Did you see it?”
“No,” I whisper. “I glued it instead of getting stitches.”
“I think you might need stitches, Matt,” she says, holding my face with both hands. Her eyes search my face as she inhales. “Do you want to go to the ER to get stitches?”
“Not right now. I can go after the elopement.”
She stares at it. “Are you sure?”
I nod. “Yeah, my mom will kill me if I’m not there.”
She applies the Neosporin and puts the bandage on. “How is this not hurting you?”
“It hurts,” I admit. “Not as bruised as my ego though.”
She laughs, cupping my face. She releases me to grab her bra. My dick flicks when she dangles it while grabbing her shirt and jeans. “Thank you for drying my clothes and letting me borrow your hoodie.”
“Any time,” I say, glancing up at her. The air is thick between us. I’m thinking about her nipples in my hoodie, and Goddamn it, I need to stop thinking about hooking up with her.
She turns on her heel and walks to the bathroom. I stand, pulling off my shirt. I take the shirt I had on earlier and put it on.
When she walks out, she hands me the hoodie. My newly prized possession.
I ask, “Are you ready?”
“Give me like ten more minutes,” she says.
I nod, lying on the comfortable bed. I watch my phone as she sits in front of the mirror and puts on makeup. She brushes her hair and applies lotion that smells like cookies.
“Ready,” she says after grabbing her purse.
I stand, following her out the door.
“Do you have the room key?” she asks.
I nod, flashing it before putting it in my pocket.
She walks alongside me as I reach for her hand.
She chuckles. “I forgot we are dating. Okay,” she inhales. “I’m in love. Love and hate have the same feeling…almost. Is that some bullshit you made up?” she asks.
I laugh. “It’s true.”
“Okay. And I should be a bitch.”
We reach the elevators. I press the button. “Here,” I say, pointing at the elevator that opens. When we step in, I hold her hand up. “Amber. Maybe just be professional.”
“Professional?” she questions.
I nod. “Like you're in the office in your power suit. I know you’re not afraid of anyone.”
She offers a smile. “Good point.”
The hotel restaurant is right next to the pool. It’s open with nice lighting and a dark style.
I approach the hostess stand. “I’m here with the James Holmes party.”
The hostess nods. “Right this way.”
Amber signals for me to walk first, so I take a step and then she stops me with my arm, rolling her eyes, and walks off. I halt with a smile on my lips. She got me. I follow them through the restaurant. My mom and her husband are already here.
“Your face,” my mom says, standing. She grabs my shoulders, ignoring Amber.
“Mom, this is Amber. Amber, my mom and James.”
My mom doesn’t look at her.
James acknowledges Amber. He sticks out his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Amber.”
“Hockey did this?” my mom asks.
I nod.
“Honey, it’s bruising.”
“Under the bandage?” I ask.
My mom nods.
Amber hasn’t said a single word yet. When I look at her, she has her game face on. The nervous Amber from a few minutes ago is gone. This girl means business.
“Are you okay?”
I nod. “Fine.”
“How was the drive over, Matt?” James asks. My mom is sitting across from me. Amber is to my left and James is to my right.
“It was good.”
“Can I see the damage?” my mom asks. She wants me to remove the bandage.
“Maybe after,” I offer. “Amber just put a new bandage on.”
We sit in silence, and I’m fucking loving how awkward this is. For once in my life, my mom finally knows how it feels to be me every time she finds a new guy and forces me to get to know him.
I grab Amber’s thigh under the table. She acknowledges my touch by looking my way.
She is ready to play whatever game this is now.
Hell yeah. She’s hot when she’s mad. I’m attracted to this side of her.
God, she’s cute. Our eye contact lingers for a moment, and I’m grateful to see her in this situation because I’m starting to know her better.
She is uncomfortable, which is obvious in how she holds her expression and her posture.
Her eyes are blazing, but I get it. My mom hasn’t looked at her yet.
Amber is going head-to-head with another dominant woman, and it is quite the sight to witness.
The waiter comes to our table to save us from reading the menu for the tenth time. We place our orders as each of our eyes linger around the restaurant. The waiter comes back with complimentary bread and says that lunch is minutes away from being done.
“That’s fast service,” James acknowledges.
The waiter leaves as I reach for a piece of bread.
“Want one, babe?” I say to Amber.
Her eyes flick to mine and they harden. “Sure.”
I hand her the piece I’m holding and grab another one.
“So, Amber,” James says. “Are you in college as well?”
She shakes her head. “No. I am a paralegal and working towards getting into law school.”
“Wow,” James says, impressed as he looks at my mom. My mom is eating her bread, acting as if nothing was said. This is hard to watch. “What do you do as a paralegal?”
“I work in family law.”
“I am a Mortgage Loan Officer. I first got into it when I was a little older than you two.”
Amber forces a smile. This confirms that her smile around me is genuine. “When I buy a house, you’ll be the guy to call.”
James nods.
Amber adds, “And if you ever need a divorce, I’m the one to call.”
My mom shoots her eyes at Amber. Fuck, I can barely believe my ears. When I told Amber to be a bitch, I didn’t mean it to this extent. I glance at my mom who is fuming. Oh, well. It’s already said.
Amber says, “I – I’m sorry. I am not insinuating a divorce here. We’re talking about work. That is what I specialize in.”
My mom’s eyes are wide like she could Superman Amber down the stairs herself.
James replies, “That’s an interesting line of work for someone your age.”
The waiter saves the day with our lunch. He calls out each of our plates and places them in front of us. We start eating right away to avoid this awkward tension.
Amber looks at me, so I meet her eyes. I can tell she’s extremely uncomfortable.
“So, Mom,” I mutter. “Amber and I have been together for almost six months.”
“Wow,” she says, looking at the two of us. Her eyes end on Amber as she says, “That’s your longest relationship?”
I nod. “My longest relationship, yes.”
“The one-year mark will test you,” James adds in.
“Have you guys been together for a year?” I ask.
My mom shakes her head. “No, you would have met him sooner.” She looks at James. “When you know, you just know.”
I stare at Amber to avoid this awkward lie my mom is trying to make us believe.
But when Amber’s eyes meet mine, everything else fades.
When you know, you know. I never used to believe that, but I think I might reconsider.
Since the moment I saw Amber at the Grind Stone, I couldn’t stay away.
I went into the Grind Stone every day in hopes to see her face.
And now I crave her presence like a fucking drug.
I work where she works, I Facetime her, and I try my hardest to force her to do things with me.
For example, dinner the other night and this weekend.
I can’t see myself without her. Right now, she’s watching me while she eats, and I wonder if she knows that I can’t get enough of her.