Page 5 of A Simple Love
“You don’t. You just have to trust me. But I promise, I won’t do it on purpose. Ever. Again.” My thumb strokes her cheek as our eyes penetrate each other, the distance between us closing slowly. I want to give in, jump over the ledge I’ve been teetering on for years, yearning to touch my lips to hers. But I stop myself. When I kiss Victoria for the first time, it won’t be in the hallway of a bar right outside the bathrooms. It’s going to be epic.
Instead, I stood my ground more, channeling the territorial side of me I’ve discovered in the past five minutes. Leaning into her further, I move my mouth next to her ear, the whisper of my breath tickling her skin, causing goosebumps to rise as she takes shallow breaths waiting for me to speak. My lips brush her earlobe, her neck leaning away from my face at the touch, a gasp escaping her mouth.
“I’ll call you to set up our date, Vic. I’m really looking forward to it.” The rumble of my voice echoes between our heads, her eyes closing as I pull away. Slowly her aureate eyes open to me, but she doesn’t speak. She simply nods. I flash her a smirk on one corner of my mouth before turning on my heels and gliding away, oozing confidence I didn’t know I possessed. Maybe I needed Ben to light a fire under my ass. Maybe I needed to face the idea of truly losing her to understand how badly I am willing to fight for her. I hope she’s ready because this is one fight I refuse to lose.
Chapter 5
Victoria
“Knock, knock!” My hand reaches for the handle on the screen door to Hayley and Tyler’s house as I yell the announcement of my arrival through the mesh.
“Come in!” Hayley shouts from the back of the house. I let myself in and follow the voices to the open kitchen where I’m greeted with Hayley and Pauline, both girls seated at one of the high top stools situated next to the large island in the middle of the space. White marble countertops sparkle in the soft lighting, the dark grey cupboards providing a perfect contrast to the cleanliness of the stone.
Hayley has chips and dips spread out on the island, a pitcher of margaritas ready to be poured, and the smell of pizza hits my nose, signaling a rumble from my stomach.
“So we’re going all out tonight, then?” I take a seat next to Pauline, gifting a small rub on her belly before reaching for the chips and taking a heap of ranch dip on the one I shove into my mouth less than eloquently.
“Uh, yeah. It’s girl’s night! And we have a prego in the house who needs to give in her cravings, with virgin margaritas, of course,” Hayley winks as she opens the pizza box. “And I have all the fixings for ice cream sundaes later.”
“Oh, you really do love me, don’t you?” Pauline asks, batting her eyelashes at Hayley.
“You betcha lady! You just keep cooking my nephew in there while I get your virgin drink from the freezer.” She rubs her shoulder and kisses her temple before walking over to the fridge.
“Uh, I’m six months pregnant…. So obviously, I’m not a virgin. I think that’s what irks me the most about that name for a nonalcoholic beverage designed for a pregnant woman. Um, hello?” She gestures down to her belly. “Definitely have had sex!”
Hayley and I laugh at her as she pours drinks for the three of us, then waves at us to fill our plates. Hayley texted me this morning, asking how things went with Mike last night. I told her that it was too much information to explain via text, so she suggested a girl’s night, which Dean and Tyler both encouraged so they could hang out and play cards during their boy’s night, so here we are.
“Can we move to the couch, please? These stools are killing my back,” Pauline pleas as she waddles into the living room.
“I agree, I wanna get comfy before I stuff my face.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. Let me grab some napkins and I’ll meet you in there,” Hayley calls from the kitchen as I help Pauline get settled on the couch, her plate balanced on her unborn child, which makes me chuckle.
“Don’t laugh, girl. One of these days, you will understand. And I hope you get pregnant with twins!” She points at me with fire in her eyes, but I know she’s only kidding.
“Hey, I can’t imagine how uncomfortable you are, but you just look so cute with that basketball under your shirt, I can’t help but smile at you. And I can’t wait to hold that baby boy, Pauline. He’s going to be so handsome.”
She grins down at her stomach, lifting her plate to rub circles around her belly button. “Damn right he is. His parents are both beautiful people.”
“Oh, jeez! Please don’t tell me Dean’s head is going to get even bigger once his son is born,” Hayley chimes in as she enters the living room, plopping herself down in the big chair adjacent to the sofa Pauline and I are seated at.
“The man is sex on a stick, Hales. He can be as cocky as he wants!” Pauline teases, shoving pizza into her mouth and moaning at the taste.
“Ok, enough aboutthatKelley boy, Pauline. What we’re really here to discuss is the younger one, right Vic?” Hayley turns to me, the pressure and heat in the room instantly rising as my two best friends wait on pins and needles for the details of last night, a night that did not end the way I imagined it would have.
I clear my throat, preparing myself to divulge every minute of the evening and fish for the much-needed advice I was seeking, but I’m interrupted by a phone alert as soon as I attempt to speak. Turning my head towards the direction of my purse, I realize it’s mine. I make my way over, retrieving my phone and unlocking it as I glide back over to my spot on the couch. Swiping my thumb across the screen, I’m greeted with a text from Ben.
Ben: Hi, Vic. It’s Ben. Just texting to make sure you have my number. I’ll contact you later this week regarding our date. Have a nice evening.
I let out a long sigh, accompanied by a shake of my head before shooting off a quick reply ofOK, then settle back into my seat and my food.
“Who was that?” Pauline mumbles around a mouthful of food.
“Oh, you guys,” I let out on a long exhale, followed by a large bite of pizza. I’m stress eating and I know it, but I think tonight it’s allowed. After swallowing, I continue. “Ben asked me out last night.”
Hayley and Pauline both freeze, looking back and forth between each other, questioning whether they heard me correctly.
“What? Did you say, Ben?” Pauline asks after what seems like forever. I nod.