Page 50 of Revival
"Chardonnay or Modelo?"
"Oh, pour me a mega pint of wine, please, good sir."
I give her time to settle in before I return with her wine. The bathroom door is cracked, but I knock anyway.
“Come in.”
As I enter, my steps falter. She’s in the bath, her naked body hidden behind mounds of bubbles. My mouth goes dry.
Andrea’s lips twitch as she watches my reaction.
With a quick shake of my head, I resume my walk toward her. "Sorry, no mega pints, but I will refill your glass as often as you like." Handing her the glass, I turn to leave.
"Where are you going?" she asks.
"I wanted to let you relax. I'm sure you had a long day."
"Yes, but I've also been alone all day. Sit. Talk to me."
Sitting on the toilet next to her, I take a long swig of my beer. Andrea is naked under all those barely-there bubbles.
Completely naked.
My dick stiffens with the thought of her petite body less than two feet away from me.
Naked.
"Tell me about Bailey," she requests.
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean, if she's your best friend, I bet she's a cool person."
"Bailey is this little, five-foot-nothing, bouncing ball of energy. Most days, she was the tomboy out there ripping it up at the skatepark, but on the nights she dressed up, there were lines of guys trying to get at her."
"But she had a boyfriend, correct?"
"She did. Marco Villanueva is an asshole, but she never talked much about him. Bailey always said they had a connection from when they were kids. She thought if she stuck around, she could change him. No matter how often he hurt her, she returned to him."
"Love makes us do crazy things," she says before finishing her wine.
I’m quick to refill her glass and grab myself another beer, then settle back down onto the edge of the tub. "I wish I knew what she wanted to tell me before being shot."
"Do you think she felt the same way you did about the kiss?" Andrea asks.
"Maybe. It was obviously uncomfortable."
"Or maybe it was something about Marco?"
"That's just the thing. I have no idea. But that shooting cost me everything. I worked so hard…” My words trail off as emotion tightens my throat. “Are you ready for dinner?" I ask, changing the subject.
"I'm starving."
"Good. Dinner should be here soon. I ordered it before you arrived. Why don't you get out and get dried off, and I’ll meet you in the living room." Walking out of the bathroom, I silently shut the door behind me.
Fifteen minutes later, Andrea emerges from the bathroom in a matching short and tee pajama outfit, her hair in a messy bun and not a stitch of make-up. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen her more beautiful.
She takes in the scene before her and a smile spreads from ear to ear. "Chinese food andThe Golden Girls? A man after my own heart." She laughs as she settles in beside me on the couch.