Chapter 11 Remington
Remington
Ireally wanted to kiss Lainey last night.
I almost kissed her. I felt like an idiot as I walked away after I heard the lock on her front door engage, knowing she was tucked safely inside.
I wanted to be in there with her. As much as I craved those things, and so much more with her, I also do not want to rush or push Lainey. I will not fuck this up.
When we were laying in the bed of my truck I made a promise to myself that I would take my time with her and not scare her off.
I have feelings for her—big feelings. Feelings that if I expressed them to anyone else at this point in our fledgling relationship, people would probably think I was insane.
I am not insane. I am just in, all in.
But now I’m second-guessing walking away last night.
So that is why I am here at work, beating the shit out of our heavy bag in the gym, and taking out my pent-up frustration through punishing my body with Eli.
He’s over in the corner working on some new jump rope move he is trying to master.
It takes a hell of a lot of concentration, effort, and practice to make the skills and tricks he can do look effortless—and it pays off big time for him, too.
He has gained a massive social media following posting exercise thirst trap videos and clips of him jumping rope.
The last time I looked he had a quarter of a million followers. Absolutely nuts.
“Son-of-a-fuckin-nutcracker!” Eli yells as the neon-green rope he’s working with whips him across the chest. Yeah, that is going to leave a nasty mark.
Sometimes he gets going so fast and intense there are a few injuries, but he will be okay.
And it truly makes him that much more motivated to master the skill.
“You alright, man?” I call out.
“Yeah, that one just got me good. Damn. I need a break. I got sloppy.” Taking a gulp of water, he strides over to where I am pulling off my boxing gloves and hands me an extra bottle.
“Thanks,” I grumble, taking it and downing half of the bottle in one long guzzle.
“What’s got your panties in a twist today, dipshit?
I thought you would have rainbows coming out your butt after your date last night.
” Eli pokes at me. I have told him a lot more about Lainey.
Eli Hargrove is the greatest friend I could ever ask for.
He has been my best friend since kindergarten when Tommy Gentry pushed me down, and Eli came to my defense.
He’s always had my back, has had the biggest personality on that and any other playground, in any other room for that matter, and is the most genuine human I know.
He is also the best firefighter in this building.
I know that once Chief is done someday, Eli would be a good man for the job.
When it comes to this work, he knows how to flip the switch.
That fun-loving side of himself is the balance he needs for all the hard shit we see and deal with, but there is nobody that I want next to me more when we are walking toward a fire.
Eli is a natural leader, and all of the people in this station rely on him in more ways than one.
We are all a family, but we often tease him and call him “daddy” when he gets on our asses about stuff.
That discipline versus fun balance? Definite dad energy.
“I think I might have fucked up by trying really hard to not fuck up.” I wince.
“Dude, you are making my brain hurt. What did you do? It has only been one date, Rem.” He rubs his temples in a mocking fashion.
“The date was amazing, that’s not the issue. She is amazing, also not the issue. I don’t want to scare her off or rush things. So, at the end of the date, I didn’t kiss her, and I think that she wanted me to.” I look over to see Eli studying me, no longer joking.
“So that’s the problem?” he asks. “You are worried that you made her mad, offended her, or something?”
“Yeah, I have no idea what she thinks about the end of our date. I walked her up to her apartment, then . . . I kissed her cheek.” I groan.
“For fuck’s sake, that is weak sauce, man. I know you don’t want to rush things with Lainey, and you want to be respectful and everything, but a kiss would not have been a bad thing. It is not like you banged her in the back of your truck and then sent her on her way.” He laughs.
I whip him with my sweat towel. “Fuck off! Of course I wouldn’t do that to her!”
“Well, have you talked to her today?” he asks pointedly.
“No, not yet. I came here to work out, get my thoughts together, and talk to you.”
“Awww you needed my sage advice, some best friend time. I knew you loved me more than you could ever love some chick.” Eli lives to push my buttons, and right now he’s pressing a little too hard.
“She is not some chick, so shut that shit down right now, man.” I sigh, exhausted and not ready to get into more rounds with him.
“Damn, Lainey really is different, isn’t she?” Eli asks me. His question sends me back to last night in the bed of my truck and my conversation with Lainey.
“You are different. This feels different.” Her eyes look up at me, and I swear she is burning herself into my very soul.
“Yeah, Lainey, this is different.”
I look at Eli, and simply say, “Yeah, man, she is.”
“Well, then, Rem. You better man up and do something about it.” Eli’s “sage advice” rings through the gym like a final bell. And I know I’m ready to do what it takes to fight for my girl.
I have never been so nervous to text a girl . . . a woman . . . after a date, ever. Until now.
God, please don’t let her hate me for not kissing her last night.
The last thing I want is for her to think that I am not into her. But that would be impossible after our date and the insane chemistry we had, right? Lainey had to have felt it, too.
Please, God, let her have felt it, too.
Remington: Hey, beautiful. How is your day going?
Lainey: . . .
Oh my God, those dots are going to kill me.
Lainey: It’s great! I had my morning meetings get canceled, so I got to go see my best friend, Kendra.
Remington: That’s nice.
What did y’all do?
Lainey: She was at work so I went to see her there.
Remington: Cool. Does she work around here?
Lainey: Yup! She does pottery and she also works at the salon.
Remington: So did you ladies have fun talking about me?
Lainey: Ha! What makes you think we talked about you?
Remington: Post-date best friend debrief?
Lainey: Is that what you did?
Remington: Yes.
Lainey: . . .
Oh shit. She’s going to think that’s a bad thing.
Remington: I told Eli that I had the most incredible date of my life last night.
Lainey: You did?
Remington: Yup . . . But there is only one thing that I regret about it.
One thing that would have made it even better.
Lainey: What’s that, Remington?
Jesus, I loved that she full-names me all the time.
Nobody does that. Everyone’s called me Rem, even my family, from the time I was young.
But hearing Lainey use my full name, in text or in person, makes my body spark.
I think her doing that just unlocked a new kink I never knew I had, because she is the only one that has held that particular key.
Remington: I should have kissed you good night.
Nothing. Silence.
No dots bouncing along my screen. Nothing.
Fuck.
Minutes drag out.
And then . . .
Lainey: You’re right, you should have.
Holy.
Shit.