Page 16 of D.I.E.T. (Did I Eat That?)

My face flamed redder with every word he spoke. I totally walked into that one. “No, you idiot. I meant it’s kind of late for guests.”

“It’s not that late. Besides, you’re my accountability partner. I’m at the store with a half-gallon of mint chocolate chip in my cart. I need you, Geet. Need you to talk me down.”

Now with everything he’d eaten in my presence thus far, I wasn’t totally on board with his excuse, yet at the same time, what if he decided to take bootcamp seriously now? Withdrawals sucked. I knew how hard putting back the mint chocolate chip ice cream had been for me in the beginning.

I sighed. “Okay. Put the ice cream back, then come over. I have a bootcamp-approved dessert that we can splurge on. I was thinking of renting a movie anyway.”

“Thank you,” he said earnestly. As I rattled off my address for him, he said, “Putting it in my GPS now. Be there in a few.”

A quick glance around my apartment told me that I had to do some quick tidying. Not that I kept a dirty house, but I needed to put out the nice, “for company” towels in the kitchen and bathroom, not to mention giving the toilet a quick scrub down. And my bags, I had to wash and put away the new purchases.

I only just got comfortable in my Eeyore jammies, because I didn’t want to look like I was trying to impress him or anything, when the doorbell rang. I walked over calmly, casually, which wasn’t exactly easy. Sinjin was about to enter my sanctuary. Still, I adjusted my Eeyore ears and opened the door. He burst out laughing the moment he saw me. “I think… you might be… the most amazing person I’ve ever met,” he said between laughs.

“Well, come in,” I replied, stepping aside for him to enter, but I did it smiling. “I’m not heating up the outside.” As I closed the door, I noticed a bag in his hand. “What’s that?” I pointed to it.

“Well, I thought since you had dessert that I’d bring the bootcamp drinks.”

While he slipped out of his coat and pulled off his boots, I walked the bag to the kitchen. He came up behind me, totally making me jump when the bag rustled because he’d stuck his hand in it to start pulling the stuff out.

“You did that on purpose,” I mumbled, biting down on my bottom lip to keep from chuckling.

“Maybe,” he replied without a hint of remorse. “Get the glasses.”

I did, but only because he pulled out vodka, mint, limes, a small box of stevia, and sparkling water. I stuck each glass under the ice dispenser on my fridge before handing them over. Then I pulled bowls down from the cupboard. The berries waited in the carton ready to go. After spooning us up each a hearty portion, I shook the Reddi-wip can several times, uncapped it, and gave us each a generous swirl of whipped cream on top. At the sound of the air decompressing, he turned to watch me, and if I wasn’t mistaken, his eyes heated for just a second. The best look I’d seen on him so far. Good thing I didn’t like him or imagine how hot that look would’ve been.

I walked the bowls out to the coffee table for us while he carried our drinks. Once situated, I turned on the TV and clicked on Prime for us to rent a new movie. I wanted a comedy. He wanted a thriller. Despite there being only the two of us in the apartment, somehow, I got outvoted and we ended up with the thriller. It was those eyes. I couldn’t say no to those big, brown, green and yellow puppy dog eyes.

“Berries and whipped cream,” he said around a mouthful during the opening credits. “I’ll have to remember this one.”

Neither of our desserts stood a chance and when both our bowls were placed back on the coffee table, that was when it happened. Sinjin pulled my throw from the back of the sofa, repositioned me to lean against him, threw the throw over the both of us, and then moved his arm to wrap around my waist.

“There,” he said. “Much better.” I refused to let myself admit it was true. Snuggled on my sofa with Sinjinwasmuch better.

Rather than admit that, I protested. It made me feel better to protest because the more time I spent with him, the more time I wanted to spend with him. We couldn’t have that. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Shh…” he replied. “Watch the movie.”

Lounging here with Sinjin took years off my life. Years. The anxiety of wanting to be with him but knowing I shouldn’t was going to be the death of me. Men were trouble. The lure of a movie buddy and possibly an okay orgasm wasn’t worth the cost of a broken heart. Ever.

“Come on, Geet,” he whispered in my ear. “It’s okay.” Then he reached up to press my head to rest in the crook of his neck. Ho-ly crap. As if that weren’t bad enough, he was ten times comfier than any man had the right to be and I settled back to enjoy the show.

As the movie credits wrapped, he sat up to stretch and I had to admit, even if ever only to myself, that I hated him stretching because that meant we’d reached the end of the night.

“I should go,” he said. “Thank you for hanging with me tonight.”

“Anytime.” I found myself answering before I thought better of it. At his corresponding smile, I knew I meant it, too.

I walked to the kitchen to set the dishes in the sink and then began loading up the things he brought. “Keep ’em,” he insisted. “I plan on taking you up on ‘anytime.’”

Inwardly smiling, I joined him in the little hallway leading to the foyer and waited there while he slipped back on his boots and coat.

He grabbed the knob but turned back to me first. “See you in the morning,” he said and seriously, he kissed my forehead, running the tip of his nose slowly back and forth along my eyebrow ridge before pausing. The man breathed in deeply, let it out slowly, and pecked my temple, then left me standing there sort of dazed and totally confused.

I already had this talk with myself—Sinjin,no likey.

Myself didn’t seem to be listening to my sage words of wisdom any longer. Then I was left with the unsettling feeling that myself was about to screw me over—big time.

Six:

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