Page 46 of Deeper

Back inside the master bedroom I decided to collect my things before I caught an assault charge.

“What are you doing?” Zander asked as he came in and shut the door behind him.

“Fuck you!” I shouted his way.

Zander blinked. “Do not yell at me, Bianka.”

Like a scolded child, I conceded. Still, seething in an anger I couldn’t tame, I went about grabbing all articles of my clothing and throwing them on the bed.

“Bianka.” Zander was calm, and that annoyed me more.

“Good fucking bye, Zander,” I said curtly.

He angled his head, silently staring at me. He didn’t speak for a moment as he watched me gather more of my things.

“Where are you going?” he finally asked.

“Home,” I shot his way.

“Why?”

I faced him, unable to believe he’d ask that. Instead of blowing up at him, I tried to be civil. “It’s Sunday. The weekend is over and I’m going home now.”

He rubbed at his jaw, appearing thoughtful. “Is that what you want?”

“What do you mean?”

Zander pocketed his hands and chanced coming closer to me. He took me in and then gazed at my clothes on his bed. “I mean, you’re ready to just walk out that door and be done with this, yeah?”

I was pissed at his sister and now he had me confused. “That was the agreement.”

“And things haven’t changed?”

“What are you saying, Zander?” I wanted him to get straight to the point, because his surprise inquisition had me losing my angst.

“I’d like for you to stay. I’ll handle Nazanin, but I want you to stay.”

“What?”

“I don’t want this to just be a weekend,” Zander clarified.

“More?”

Zander stared me in my eyes, holding my gaze and meaning every word he was saying. “After the bath, the tempo changed.”

Slow. It was slower.

“The first time I had you in my bed and it was slow. I already loved fucking you, but after going slow… I don’t think I could ever get enough.”

I opened my mouth and shut it. My head was swimming with words and feelings, and I felt totally conflicted suddenly. “So, you want to be friends with benefits?”

Zander shook his head. “No, I wantyou. You captivate me. You make me feel like I have to try, like beyond my imageIhave to impress you. You don’t give a shit about my music or my money. You could literally walk out that door right now and not look back, and that bothers me a lot. I can’t explain it, but I’d like to give this a real go.”

His words caused me to take a seat on the bed and catch my breath. “I…I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you like me back, Bianka.”

He liked me.

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