Chapter 9
9
T hree hours later, I was absolutely famished. The lasagna was ready, and the pie sat cooling on the counter. It had been so long that, at one point, I began to wonder if he was actually coming back. It annoyed me that it had only been two days of him being in my life in this capacity, and I was already worrying about things I hadn’t needed to worry about on Thursday. Finally, I heard a soft knock on the door, and when I opened it, there stood a very sweaty Remi.
“Sorry that took so long, mother fucking Liam put us through the wringer today.”
“That’s okay.” I got a whiff of his natural spice as he came inside. Yummm, my body thought. Down girl, my brain retorted.
“I’m gonna have to shower again. I’m gross,” he told me.
I bit my lip so I wouldn’t say that he wasn’t gross, that actually, he looked absolutely edible. We were going slow. I reminded my libido. No spit-swapping behavior allowed.
“Waiiiit. I smell pasta.” He turned around and came back into the kitchen. “Shaen…”
“What?” I asked innocently.
“Is this lasagna and pie for me?”
“I believe it is. Hey, get your finger out of there!” I swatted him away from the pie.
“Oh my God, you are a queen! A literal queen. I hope you’re ready for me to demolish that entire pan of lasagna. Holy shit!” He backed out of the kitchen, looking so excited as he took his shirt off with that hot one-handed move boys did.
As Remi showered again, I made us plates of food and brought them over to the coffee table. I put the TV on to make some background noise when my phone vibrated.
LIAM
photo
I opened the text, and it was a picture of a very shirtless, very sweaty Remi lifting weights, muscles bulging.
SHAEN
you’re aware that he’s your cousin right?
LIAM
I also like taco salads, and I consider Nutella a whole-ass food group.” I grinned, and he nodded.
“I hear that. It’s an important staple.”
I loved our semi-sarcastic banter. Remi leaned back and patted his stomach.
“Good lord, woman, I am stuffed.”
“I’m so glad you liked it.” So much so that I was thinking about what I could bake him next. “Sooo, what did your mom want?” I asked as I began cleaning up the coffee table. I planned on packing up some food for Remi to take home, and then I would save some to have later for dinner when I got back from work.
“I didn’t call her back yet. She’s probably sick of hearing my dad rant about what a sinner I am and is calling to play good cop.” He stood up and came into the kitchen. “Do you need help?”
“You can wash the pan if you want,” I told him from where I was packing up a Tupperware for Liam. He turned the sink on and started washing out the glass pan I had used to bake the lasagna in.
“Look at us playing house,” he joked. It was his first reference to the girlfriend-boyfriend conversation we had last night, and then when I had put the brakes on us moving so fast, I had been wondering if we would still do titles.
“Washing dishes is a good look for you,” I quipped, avoiding the heavier part of the conversation as my survival mechanisms kicked in.
“Thank you. I’m happy to do it if you keep feeding me like that.” He winked.
Both of our phones buzzed, and I saw the group chat pop up on my phone screen.
LIAM
photo
LIAM
isn’t this the bitch who hit you last night Shaen???
It was a mugshot of the man who had assaulted me last night. I swallowed heavily, my throat suddenly feeling tight.
CARTER
That’s definitely him. Remi you really ducked up his face. Look at him!
CARTER
fucked
RACHEL
Omg what?
LIAM
apparently after we roughed him up and kicked him out he got pulled over for a DUI. Check out this link
EVA
Good, he’s a piece of shit
RACHEL
what was he doing at our school party?
LIAM
looks like he goes to college nearby. I guess he just crashed?
EVA
how is your face Shaen?
SHAEN
guys I’m fine. I swear
REMI
types…. stops typing
I met his eyes from over my phone.
“Still don’t want to talk about it?” He looked pretty serious.
“You’re catching on quick.” I faked a chill tone in my voice and handed him three Tupperware containers. “Okay, this pie is for Liam. The other piece is for you, and I gave you some more lasagna for when you’re hungry again later.”
“Why does Liam get pie?”
“He sent me something, so it’s his prize.” I went to my room to grab my bag and charger and put on sneakers for work.
“What did he send you?” Remi was leaning in the doorway of my room, his bag slung over his chest, the keys to Liam’s jeep in his hand.
I hesitated and then unlocked my phone to pull up the photo Liam had sent me. I had already set it to be Remi’s contact photo on my phone. Remi laughed when he saw it. I loved how his personality was a mix of both humility and confidence.
“You like?” He was clearly flirting now, but he hadn’t touched me since our conversation this morning, which I appreciated and missed at the same time.
“I like,” I confirmed. He beamed.
“I need a photo of you now,” he told me as we left the apartment.
“I don’t go to the gym,” I joked.
“I’m gonna need a pic, Shaen,” he repeated.
“Mm-hmm.” I clicked my seat belt and gave Remi the address of the dog shelter where I worked. We listened to music the whole drive there. Why was he so sexy when he drove? I watched his hand on the wheel and wished he had it on my thigh right now. I always thought that possessive move was kind of hot. You made the rules, Shaen, I reminded myself as Remi pulled up in front of my work and unlocked the door.
“Thank you so much for lunch, Shaen, it was so good,” he told me again as I grabbed my phone and bag. I hesitated before I opened the door, wondering if I should at least give him a hug or something. I decided against it and smiled.
“Thanks for the ride.”
He nodded.
“Talk to you later.”
He didn’t drive away until I was safely inside. We were definitely in some awkward territory. It’s like we had jumped into the deep end of the pool, and now I had dragged us back to the shallow. We just needed to get to know each other better; that would allow me to feel more secure about the whole thing, and then I’d be happy to swim in the deep end with him again. I blushed at what that innuendo meant to me. My phone buzzed.
REMI
I’m gonna need that photo
I said hi to one of my bosses, Margo, and then got busy processing paperwork for the three new dogs that had come in earlier this week and the two dogs that had been adopted. My bosses were a married couple who lived in the apartment above the shelter. They had hired me two years ago. At first, I had just manned the desk and phones, but now they trusted me to do a lot more, like managing the groomer’s schedule and posting on the rescue’s social media. I took the three new dogs who had come in this week and brought them into a gated area where I had set up a gray velvet doggy bed and a background that I had made out of wrapping paper and taped up on the wall behind the little doggy couch. I had a bow tie collar for the boys and a hair bow for the girls. I would pose them and try to get shots of the dogs that would get them adopted really quickly. I would then post the photos and the dog’s bio on our social media accounts. I absolutely loved my job, and usually, it was full of happily ever after stories, but sometimes we had sad stories, and they always wrecked me. We had gotten in a one-year-old pit bull named Rex, who had a beautiful tan and white coat and a huge pitty smile. We also had received a black lab who had been found roaming a Walmart parking lot, so we weren’t sure exactly how old she was, but the vet thought she was around two or three. I had chosen her name to be Midnight, since we didn’t know what her previous one was. Last, was a tiny six-month-old white Maltipoo named Tigger, who I immediately fell in love with. I knew he would go quickly. People loved the fluffy, tiny babies. I took shots of each dog in several poses. When I was done, I rewarded each of them with treats and belly rubs. I was lying on the floor with Tigger snuggled on my chest, Midnight lying curled up by my head, and Rex resting his big face on my belly. I grabbed my phone and snapped a selfie with them, and before I could chicken out, I texted it over to Remi.
REMI
you’re adorable
I hearted his response.
I began editing the photos and preparing the posts for social media. Then, I fed all of the dogs dinner and let them run around outside in the gated yard before bedtime. The four hours of my shift flew by, and it was time for me to leave.
“See you tomorrow,” I called to Margo. She waved but didn’t say anything because she was talking to someone on the phone. I had requested an Uber ten minutes prior, and it was pulling up as I stepped outside. During the day, I would walk the twenty minutes home, but when my shift ended in the evenings, I would lay out some hard-earned money for an Uber. I couldn’t wait to get my own car. I had some decent cash saved since I had never missed a shift in two years. I worked three to seven on Saturdays and ten to four on Sundays. My bosses paid me fifteen dollars an hour. Sometimes, I would edit photos at home or answer social media messages, but I never logged those hours. I did that for my doggy friends. Every time one of them went to their “furever” home, I wanted to cry from sheer happiness. I didn’t actually cry since I had pushed that deep down, but I wanted to. I grimaced at my thoughts, wishing I had better coping skills than numbing out so much of my life. On the car ride home, the group chat got active again.
EVA
I still need the bio homework. Did anyone track it down?
LIAM
Seth just sent it to me I’ll email it to u
EVA
you’re the best thank you *heart emoji*
CARTER
I mean…
EVA
simmer down
I snickered. I loved watching Eva put Carter in his place.
DEE
link to a video.
DEE
guys I’m literally dying. You must watch this. It’s so funny
RACHEL
I don’t get it
DEE
sigh
LIAM
did u finish work yet Shaen?
SHAEN
on my way home now
SHAEN
photo of Tigger
RACHEL
omg my ovaries !
LIAM
that’s a dog Rachel. U cannot birth a puppy
RACHEL
wtv i lit love him
REMI
if you think that’s cute check this out
REMI
photo
He had sent the selfie of me and the three new dogs. I froze. Why did he do that? Our friends were going to have a field day with it.
RACHEL
does that mean what I think it means??
EVA
Shaen you have the best job like everrr
LIAM
$100 they’re ducking
LIAM
fucking
CARTER
I’ll take that bet
REMI
we are NOT fucking
Liam reacted to his message with an angry face emoji.
When I got home, my mom was actually in her room, which was surprising as she usually worked on Saturday nights. I could hear her on the phone as I warmed up the leftover lasagna in the microwave. I went into my room to eat and shut the door. I started reading a new book as I ate, and then when I finished, I did the bio homework that Eva had forwarded to me. At around ten, I began getting ready for bed, and I heard my mom leave her room.
“Hey, Shaen,” she called.
“Hey,” I answered back.
“I see you made pie.”
“Yup. You can have a piece if you want.”
“Thanks. You going to bed?”
“Yup.”
“Good night.” I heard her in the kitchen cutting herself some pie.
“Good night,” I muttered. She really had no idea how to be a mother. She wasn’t a bad person; she had just never grown up. She did the best she could, but mostly her best wasn’t enough.
I was dozing off to sleep when I heard my phone buzz on my night table.
REMI
good night
I smiled and noticed that my heart rate had picked up. Crap, I really was into him, wasn’t I? I couldn’t tell you how this had evolved so quickly, but it was already feeling so nice to matter to someone. To matter to him.
SHAEN
night x
REMI
with tongue?
I reacted to his message with a laughing emoji and went to sleep.