Page 29 of Unofficial

Kade was the best sex she’s ever had. He knew what she liked, and he remembered it. He used it every time they were together, and it never took her long to finish. He also rarely finished before her, and if he did, he made sure to help her find her own release before cuddling up and falling asleep. Or going for round two.

How’d he keep it all straight? How did he remember what I liked versus what Lena liked? Or Molly or Brittany or Melissa? There’s no way every one of us liked it the same.

Placing the lasagna in the oven, she sets the timer and walks into the living room. Baseball plays on the TV, and she knows it’s America’s pastime, but she has never gotten into the game. It’s too slow-paced for her.

“Did you want to go out this weekend?” Jess asks Landry as he stares intently at the screen.

“Mmhmm.”

“Where do you want to go? There’s this new restaurant that just opened up that I could get us into-”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asks, finally looking away from the screen.

Blinking, she shakes her head. “I asked if you wanted to go out this weekend.”

“Oh, I have tickets to the game. I can probably get another one, and you can come with us.”

His eyes keep glancing to the screen, and she finds herself extremely annoyed. “Uh, no, thanks.”

“Are you sure? I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”

“I’m not a big baseball fan.”

“You’re not?”

Does he pay attention to anything she says? “Nope, not since I last told you I’m more of a football girl.”

“Huh, I don’t remember that.”

Landry turns to face the TV again, and she just resigns to the fact that as long as sports are on, she won’t exist. It’s how it works for many people. She just never imagined herself being one of them.

He can’t be perfect. There are certain things you just have to accept in the grand scheme.

Getting up, Jess walks back into the kitchen to sit at the table and play on her phone until the timer goes off. She scrolls through social media and checks her work emails, getting a few items check off her list before walking into work the next day.

Maybe his obsession with sports will actually be a benefit.

Jess could wash the dishes, but she wants to see if Landry will offer to help clean. He has yet to so far, but maybe he’ll surprise her. She hopes he will.

The timer goes off, and she pulls the dish from the oven to add the top layer of cheese before tossing it back in to melt and brown. The scents from the garlicy tomato sauce make her mouth water, and she can’t wait to dig in.

While it finishes, she puts together the salad, and she sets the table. The timer buzzes, and she almost drools as she pulls the lasagna from the oven. She can’t wait.

“Dinner’s ready,” she calls.

“Be there in a sec,” Landry calls back.

She sets the casserole dish on a trivet on the table, letting it cool a bit before cutting into it. She’s made simple things before, like pizza and burgers, but this is a masterpiece. Before cutting into it, she takes a picture for her feed. This is definitely social media worthy.

“Landry?” Jess calls after fifteen minutes of waiting for him to come into the kitchen.

“Be there in a sec,” he calls again.

Annoyed, she just cuts herself a slice and dishes it up onto her plate. She sits down and starts eating her salad. Each forkful she takes lifts slower and slower to her mouth, but her chewing gets more and more aggressive.

She finishes her salad and leans over to find him on the edge of the recliner, his eyes glued to the screen.

“I’m going to start without you,” she calls.

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