Chapter 7
Ryan
Taking the stairs, I head toward the kitchen while zipping up my jeans. I need coffee and the early morning quiet. Wiping the droplets of water off my chest, I throw my towel into the laundry basket at the end of the staircase. The smell of bacon and fried eggs fills my nostrils.
Someone’s in my kitchen!
I blink.
Ishika?
I am losing my mind.
What the hell?
Are these side effects of excessive masturbation?
She can’t be here.
I am hallucinating.
Or, I am possibly going mad.
Ishika is cooking in my kitchen. This is the most absurd thing ever.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. “This is a dream,” I acknowledge to myself.
Then I open one eye and look toward the stove.
Ishika starts humming at the same time in a sexy voice, doing a shimmy shake.
Then her round ass starts twerking in her tight jeans as she picks up the pace, stirring something in a pan.
Not helping!
I shut my eyes back again, squeezing them tight.
Okay so this was bound to happen at some stage.
I had tried to limit my thoughts about her but clearly it’s getting out of control.
I dream about her so much during the night, every night.
And now, she is slowly taking over my days too.
I am daydreaming obviously and it feels so real.
There is no way Ishika would be in my kitchen. Not in a million years would this ever be a possibility. I have to put a stop to this insanity this minute before I end up in a psychiatric ward.
Alright, calm down Ryan. There is still time to rectify this. What did Aariv say about lucid dreaming?
Live the emotion. Live the fantasy and change its course — Aariv said so.
If she were my woman and she was cooking for me, I would head into the kitchen and smack her ass. Then I would kiss her like she is my first sip of coffee after a long, tormenting, lonely, sleepless night.
Let’s do this.
Stealthily, I approach this image of Ishika and…
Crack
I smack her ass.
The smack resounds in the air when my hand connects with her round bottom.
She freezes.
I freeze too.
Then I squeeze her ass cheek. Hard. My five fingers dig into her fleshy globe.
Because why not? You live only once. I am not one to shy away from the opportunity of a lifetime.
This is my perfect dream.
Only this imagination is a sensory highlight. Her sweet ass is warm in my palm. I can feel her touch. I hear her audible gasp. I can smell her perfume.
Ishika turns her shocked face slowly toward me, while my hand is still on her cute butt.
“What the hell, Ryan?” Ishika says. “Do you have to be a pig this early in the morning?”
My eyebrows shoot up. She picks up my hand from her behind and drops it like a bag of dog shit.
“It’s really you?” I mumble, blinking my eyes rapidly and flexing my fingers.
I touched her ass. Fuck! This is my lucky day.
“What?” she asks with annoyance, noticing my grin. “What’s wrong with you? I came here to talk.” She turns toward me angrily with my spatula in her hand. “Is this how you greet guests? Can you show a modicum of decency…”
“I thought you were Owen.” The excuse escapes from my lips before I can stop it.
“Really! I look like Owen to you? Or do I look like a fool to believe that you smack Owen’s ass like that? I don’t know what I was thinking. This was a bad idea,” she says, discarding the spatula in the sink and passing me to pick up her jacket from the chair. She is really angry.
I snatch the jacket from her hands, lifting it above my head. She extends her arm to take the clothing back but I am a lot taller. “Give it back, Ryan. This is not funny.”
She hops and in the process of yanking the jacket from me, her feet tangle with mine and she misses her footing. She yelps, clutching on to my shoulders for support and my arm curls around her waist, pulling her flush to my chest.
Her eyes widen as she looks down at my bare chest. She tenses and her grip on my body tightens.
“Ishika.”
“Hmm.” She swallows looking up from my chest.
“You cooked me breakfast?”
“I…Yeah.” Her voice comes out breathily.
“That’s sweet.”
She watches her fingers when they brush lightly against my bare skin.
Her fingers lower to my pectorals. She traces imaginary lines on my heated skin, mesmerized in her invisible artwork.
A familiar temptation sizzles between us.
Like she senses my turmoil, like she understands this attraction but she doesn’t know what to do with it.
Hurriedly she pulls back her fingers and eases herself out of my hold.
She takes a step back and gulps. “Is this how you pick up girls, groping them? And instead of apologizing, your excuse is you thought I was Owen.”
The little firecracker is back in business.
I have to think of something real quick. “Look, it’s a family thing. You are not letting me explain,” I continue my lies, deciding to think of consequences later.
“Owen and I, we have this thing. It’s a recurring joke. It’s just playful ribbing amongst brothers. It’s usually Owen trying to sneak up on me. I was still half asleep five minutes ago. I genuinely didn’t expect you to be in my kitchen for real. I apologize for what happened.”
I spot my T-shirt from last night on the couch and I pull it over my head, covering my torso. She lets out a small sigh of relief.
Seeing me without a T-shirt does something to her.
Interesting!
“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you why I didn’t know you were coming over?” I ask.
“Look, I felt bad for the way I behaved with you the other night. You helped me out. I wanted you to know I appreciate it. I came here with breakfast and coffee. I knocked but no one answered so I called Owen. He said you may have gone out for your run and I could wait inside. He told me you kept a spare key under the planter.”
“How did you get past Rufus?”
“Oh, Rufus and I are friends. Owen brought him along a few times over the years, so I wasn’t a stranger to him and I bribed him with some bacon.
” She pushes her hair behind her ears, sparing a glance at my chest again.
She clears her throat before looking out of the garden door.
Rufus is outside chasing his tail in our small backyard.
“At least I know Rufus won’t qualify for a guard dog anytime soon. He sold me out for some bacon,” I say, trying to lighten the mood.
“It’s not his fault if something looks so delicious.”
“True, finding something so delicious in my own kitchen, first thing in the morning, is a dream come true. Not just for my dog.”
If this were still a dream, I would have put an end to the distance between us and pulled her in my arms by now. It felt so good to have her in my grasp, to smell in her scent, to bask in her warmth.
Ishika clears her throat. “I-I have an early shift. I got to go. I just wanted to say thank you.”
I don’t want her to leave.
“It’s not really a thank you unless you join me for breakfast.”
“But…”
“I insist. What’s on the stove?”
“Oh that, I made some eggs. My granny says scrambled eggs are always more delicious freshly made.”
“Are you close to your gran?”
“Very close.” Her features soften as she speaks. “My avó is a wonderful cook. The best if you ask me. She has taught me everything I know about taste palates and distinguishing between different flavors.”
Her phone rings and at the same time someone knocks at my front door.
“I have to take this. It’s work,” she says, taking her phone out and heading toward the backyard.
Walking to the entrance, I open the door only to find that it’s my little brother, Owen with a shit eating grin.
“Shit! You cannot be here. Get lost,” I tell Owen.
“I’m not going anywhere. Ishika said I could come. I’m not missing out on free food.” He pushes against me with all his might.
“This is not the time, O,” I say through gritted teeth. Ishika will know that I lied about the ass grabbing incident if Owen joins us for breakfast.
Owen pokes his face between the gaps of the door. “She’s my friend. I’m looking out for her. I don’t know why she’s wasting her time on you. Bro, she needs a man in her life not a pussy.”
“Fuck off, Owen.”
“You’ve had a crush on her since high school. Does she know about that? Maybe I should tell her.”
“Maybe I should hang you upside down.”
“Hey, Ishika! Can I come in?” Owen calls and I turn to see Ishika wave him in and then go back to talking on the phone.
Damn it. My lies are going to bite me in the ass now. I have no choice but to ask for Owen’s help.
“Fine, you can come in on one condition. I want you to grab my ass when she looks at us.”
“You lost a screw somewhere, bro?”
“You heard me. Give it a playful smack. Just one time is fine. Make sure Ishika is looking when you do it.”
“Why do you want me to fondle your ass like it’s a furry animal?”
“None of your business. I saved your ass a million times before. You owe me this.”
“I require more clarity with the instructions. Do you like a pleasure dom’s kinky spanking or a gentle lover’s caress?” Owen is really enjoying this.
“A squeeze will do, or a nudge, and pretend like we do this all the time. Then say something like, wassup bro? Or good day, sir. Then let go of my ass.”
Owen listens nodding his head and then he says, “What do I get in return?”
“Fifty bucks? For a one-time only ass grab.”
“How about we make it one hundred bucks and I can drive your bike ‘til I get my car?”
“One hundred bucks. Does not include the bike, take it or get out of my house.”
Owen taps his chin, pretending to think as Ishika finishes her call. “What are you guys whispering about? The food’s getting cold.”
Owen powers through the door, running to give Ishika a hug.
Fuck! Why do siblings have to be so annoying?
“Morning, Ishika! No trouble finding the keys?” I hear Owen ask.
Shutting the door, I head toward the table and as I turn to pull a chair out, Owen’s hand slaps on my right butt cheek grabbing on to a chunk of my ass.
“Hi, handsome!” Owen purrs in my ear loud enough for Ishika to hear.