Page 44 of Yours, Unexpectedly

I know Bex has concerns, but after a while, all of the narrowed eyes and the “I’ll kill you” hand-across-throat gestures when she thinks I’m not looking, really hurts a guy's feelings. That and I know it’s time to face the music with Gabe. I mean, not all of the music, but I need to make an appearance at the apartment and give him some excuse for why I didn’t come home last night.

I finish putting up the last breakfast dish in the dishwasher and turn around. Clearing my throat, I say, “Well, I should probably head out.”

Bex begins to nod like she expected this and I really don’t like the feeling that gives me. I’m trying to exceed her expectations here, not meet them. “Yeah, of course. Let me grab your things from my room.”

I say a quick goodbye to Luci and Riz and follow Bex into the bedroom.

“Hey,” I whisper, which seems dumb because why am I whispering? But Bex appears freaked out by us and the events of the last twenty-four hours, which causes my primal instincts to kick in, telling me to lower my voice and approach her slowly.

“What’s up?” she asks, and I can tell she’s trying to be casual.

“I just wanted to check on you. I know this morning has been a lot.”

She huffs a laugh-sigh but then quickly schools her features, shrugging one shoulder. “Actually pretty normal behavior coming from Gabe. No big deal.”

“Right… no big deal.” I furrow my brow, unsure how to continue. How to say everything I want her to hear. “Let me try to be as clear as I can here. I don’t really want to leave and go back to my apartment to hang out with the wrong Bardot sibling.” I chance a step toward her and she lets me.

“What I want is to cuddle back up in bed. Watch a movie. Hold you. Get up for sustenance before burrowing back into our own cocoon. But I know that’s not what friends with benefits do. And I know that you need some processing time, so I’m going to give it to you.” I’m right up against her now, so I reach up and brush my thumb across her bottom lip.

There are so many other things I want to say, but she isn’t ready yet. She still needs the fun, unserious side of Anders. The side the rest of the world gets.

I bend down, pressing my lips against her throat before I blow a big raspberry right against her skin. She laughs that big boisterous laugh of hers that doesn’t come out often and shoves me away.

“You are crazy! I’m fine, and you’re right, you should probably go home.” Her mouth curls into a smirk. “Thanks for last night. And this morning. I would eventually like for you to get some benefits from this friendship, too, you know?”

She doesn’t realize that that’s not happening. God, do I want to be with Bex, but not this way. I want to take her knowing that she’s mine for real, not as a part of this little game we’re playing.

“I know, I know,” I say, kissing her on the nose before gathering my things. I grab her hand and pull her toward the front door. When we get there, I push her back up against it, sliding my hand up to gently cup her throat.

She lets out the smallest of whimpers and my ego grows along with my dick. Our lips meet in a passionate kiss that is only broken up by a wolf whistle coming from behind me. I pull away and turn to wink at the forgotten roommates. “Sorry, ladies! I’ll be going now.”

“Please don’t stop on our account!” Riz jokes.

I turn back to Bex and give her one more peck because I can’t help myself. She’s so dazed that I have to physically move her from in front of the door before I can get out.

“Bye, killer,” she says with a small wave.

Gabe isn’t at the apartment—he’s probably still looking for a family member that wants to hang out with him—so I kill some time by gathering my things that have been haphazardly left around. Gabe is pretty laid back about his space and after getting diagnosed with ADHD when I left New York, I’m thankful for that. My stuff tends to land where it lands, which is not ideal, especially when I can never find my car keys, but I’ve tried every tip and trick in the book to no avail.

Once the apartment looks semi-decent, I decide to hop in the shower. Closing the bathroom door, I reach in and turn the hot knob all the way up, barely cranking the cold to balance it out. I need a scalding hot shower to keep my mind off of Bex long enough to clean myself off.

I let the steam clouds begin to billow around me as I shuck my clothes off into a pile on the cold tile floor. Taking a deep inhale, I lean in close to the mirror.

“What the fuck are you doing, Anders?” I ask my reflection. It seems silly, but I have always found it helpful to talk out loud to myself whenever there’s a lot going on.

He doesn’t know the answer to my question so I lean my face against the mirror, taking a second to ground myself. What do I feel, hear, see?

Cool tiles pricking like ice against my feet.

The intense torrent of water hitting the bottom of the shower.

Clear, smooth skin across my face.

I run my hand across my cheeks, realizing for the first time today how buttery soft my skin feels. Damn, Bex’s skincare is nice.

I push off the mirror and put my foot under the spray of water. It immediately burns my skin, turning it a deep shade of red.

Perfect.

---