Page 99 of Melted by a Man

My eyes were starting to burn around the edges, a lump was forming in my throat. He said home, notmyhome. Just home. Did he feel at home here? Was he just as happy to be here, as I was to have him here?

“—but no pressure. I figured you should try these two out and see if they work for you. If not, we can always return them and go back to the drawing board to find a brand that feels better. I understand that not all earbuds and headphones feel the same. I guess I wasn’t sure which you’d like to prioritize: sound, clarity, or comfort. Which is why I just got you both.”

He set the headphone box on the counter next to me, gently removing the smaller box from my hands so he could tear the clear plastic off and open it up, “But we should try these out first since they’re closest to what you’re used to.” His brow had a small pinch in it as he opened the box and removed all the fancy packaging. His clear blue eyes flicked toward my phone resting to the side on the counter, so he reached over to grab it. He held the camera toward my face to unlock the screen. My face, which was still frozen in shock.

Leo didn’t react to my silence. He just kept going, giving me time to sit with my feelings.

Once my phone was properly paired with the earbuds, which he then renamed “Jacqueline’s Earbuds,” he set my phone down. With gentle, slow movements, he lifted his hand to push my hair out of the way, before delicately inserting the earbuds in my ears.

If anyone else touched me like this, my skin would crawl with the impulse to flinch away. But with him, I just held still, holding my breath while I anticipated his fingertips brushing against my skin.

The earbuds had those soft silicon tips, molding to my ear canal and immediately blocking excess white noise out.

My lips tugged up. My body and mind immediately felt more relaxed without the sound of my AC unit and refrigerator running.

Leo grinned, clocking my own grin immediately, “How do they feel?”

“Good,” my voice croaked.

Leo nodded before grabbing my phone again and opening up one of my playlists. I could still hear him, but his voice was muted with the noise cancellation, “I think you’re going to like the spatial audio, and how much more of the bass you’ll feel.”

He picked a song to test out.

“Party Rock Anthem” byLMFAOstarted playing.

The sound was perfect. I heard everything, and it sounded like the two artists were singing on either side of me. When the bass dropped, I could feel it in my body in a way I had been desperately trying to seek out with my old earbuds.

Leo’s eyes kept bouncing between both of mine, studying me. Gauging my reaction.

After the song played for a minute, he finally asked, “Does it sound okay?”

I pressed my lips together, the corners still turned up, as I nodded my head.

“I can’t hear it at all,” Leo grinned, “The sound stays exactly where it’s supposed to.”

I sucked in a shaky breath. My heart was swelling, pressing on my lungs. I almost felt dizzy. I could almost hear the sound of blood rushing in my ears underneath the music. I thought I was going to pass out or burst into sobs.

Though I tried to hold them in, tears finally started to streak down my cheeks. My lips were pressed together so tightly that I was worried my teeth might puncture through them.

Once my tears finally made themselves known, Leo’s gaze widened, “Oh, is it too loud?” He immediately reached forward, gently removing the earbuds and reintroducing the hum of my apartment. But his calm voice was clearer now, a trade-off I’d never hesitate to take.

“No.” I swallowed, the lump in my throat made the movement almost painful. I lifted my hands to wipe at my cheeks.

“I’m so sorry,” Leo shook his head before stepping between my legs, his hands came up to my cheeks, moving mine out of the way. His thumbs swiped away the moisture, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” my reply was watery, holding in a sob, “I love it.”

Leo’s lips tipped up in the corner, “These are happy tears?”

I nodded, “So, painfully, disgustingly happy. Thank you.” I sniffed, pulling out of his hold so I could swipe my own cheeks again. Leo stepped to the side to rip some paper towels off of the roll near the fridge and came back to hand it to me.

I wiped under my eyes, frowning at the smudged mascara there.

I tried to absorb the mascara and clean up my makeup around my eyes, before using the black-spotted paper towel to blow my nose.

Finally looking up at Leo again, I tried to plaster on a wide smile, “Do I look okay?”

Leo was studying me, both of his hands braced on either side of my legs on the counter. Inches separated us as he leaned closer, his gaze locked on me. I knew I wasn’t the prettiest crier around, but I hoped it wasn’t enough to turn him off.

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