Page 47 of Until Then

Derrick settles beside me with a tray full of brownies. His added weight causes me to dip closer to him. He doesn’t say a word when he leans forward to set the brownies on the table and my toes bump his leg.

I cue up the show, and we settle into companionable silence. We keep the popcorn between us, both sneaking pieces to Wonton periodically. I’m still not over the night he got spooked and ran away. Losing my furry best friend is a devastation I don’t want to contemplate.

“Is this supposed to feel crunchy?” Derrick asks, wiggling his nose in a way that makes the mask crack.

“It hardens as it dries.” I try not to laugh at the way he grimaces.

He huffs lightly. “The things you women do for beauty.”

“It’s worth it. You’ll see.”

It’s totally possible he won’t agree, but I love how soft my skin is after I rinse it off.

When the episode ofGilmore Girlsis over, we head upstairs to wash off our masks. I’ve just rinsed the last bit off my face when Derrick calls out to me from his bathroom. “It won’t come off! Help me!”

I dry my face on a fluffy towel, chuckling, then pad into his room.

I’ve never crossed this threshold before. Bedrooms are sacred spaces. One must be invited in like a vampire before entering. A large, warm-colored rug covers the majority of the hardwood floor, and his king-size bed is set between two windows. The headboard is made of a dark fabric that’s both masculine and stylish, adding to the aesthetic of the whole cozy room.

“Did you decorate your room yourself?” I ask when I join him in the bathroom.

He looks up with his hands still on his face and the mask smeared all over him and into his facial hair. “Yeah. Why?”

I glance back over my shoulder. There’s a bookcase beside his dresser, filled with books and other memorabilia. And… oh, wow. An old record player and a neat stack of vinyls on the floor.

“It’s beautiful,” I finally answer after a prolonged staring session. “You really like records, huh? I have a small collection back in LA. There’s a record store attached to a coffee shop down the street from my apartment. It’s one of my favorite places to go.”

He arches a brow, top lip twitching with amusement at my word vomit. “Nothing beats vinyl.”

“That’s where Reid gets his love for it, huh?”

He doesn’t answer me, but his eyes get heavy, and the air thickens with tension. Our bodies seem to draw into one another.

Kiss me. He’s going to kiss me.

I’m ready for it.

Prepared.

Craving.

Wonton barks downstairs, dissolving the moment. It goes up like a cloud of smoke as we both startle back.

Derrick turns back to the mirror. “I tried to get it off, and it just…” He shrugs in a helpless way. “It keeps getting everywhere.”

“Dampen your face again.”

He leans over the sink and does as I’ve said and then I carefully wipe at the remaining mask with a cloth.

“Add more water.”

We work together until there isn’t even a speck of mask left in his beard.

Once I’ve rinsed the washcloth and he’s patted his face dry, we hesitate, watching each other in the mirror. But he doesn’t let it linger. With a thick swallow, he turns the light off and leads the way back downstairs.

We settle on the couch, pretending nothing at all happened upstairs. All the while, my body aches with want from the kiss that never was.

“Brownie?” Derrick asks.

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