Page 22 of When You're Home
She couldn’t help but crack a smile at that one. His two-door Prelude had a nonexistent backseat and the deepest bucket seats known to man; it was not the kind of car you used to impress a woman. His nostalgia for that old car knew no bounds.
“Alright, well, make sure Jake gives you your share of the tips before you go,” Mike ordered, pointing a fork in Jake’s general direction.
“Mike, please!” Jake chided from across the bar, holding a hand to his chest like he had just been stabbed in the heart. “Like I could ever hold out on my best friend! Besides, today’s tips are all going in our Spring Break Bros Trip Fund. He woulda benefited from this money whether he showed up today or not.”
“Are you ready?” Tori prompted. She knew if she didn’t speak up, the guys would stand there shooting the shit all day, and she was having trouble just standing up at this point.
“Let’s get you home,” Rhett responded, finding the small of her back and guiding her toward the door.
“I’ll text you later, man. Thanks for letting me crash your shift,” he shot back at Jake as they made their way to the side door. They grabbed their coats on the way out, not bothering to stop to put them on. She couldn’t wait to take a nice, long nap.
“Where are we going, V?” he asked as he opened the passenger door of the Prelude. He was around to his side a few moments later, lowering himself into the driver’s seat and blasting the heat to try and warm up the car.
She considered his question. If he dropped her off at her house, their time together was essentially over for the weekend. She would end up taking a nap, making dinner for her dad, and getting sucked into schoolwork as the Sunday scaries set in. They had technically been together all day at work, but they’d barely had a chance to spend any time together, save for the few smiles they exchanged across the restaurant. She wanted more time with him.
“We’re going to your house,” she decided as she buckled her seatbelt and sank into the bucket seat. She glanced over at him and caught the earnest look of conviction in his eyes.
We’re not over yet.
Chapter 14
Tori
ShewokeupinRhett’sbedforthesecondtimethatday.Andjustlikethatmorning,itwasdarkoutsidewhenshepeeredtowardthewindowthroughsleepyeyes.
“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured behind her. She didn’t turn around, instead shifting her body backwards into him and savoring the feeling of being in his arms.
“Hi,” she replied, lacing his fingers through hers and bringing his knuckles to her mouth. She kissed his hand, lingering over each finger as she felt him move closer.
“How long was I asleep?” She hadn’t realized how utterly exhausted she was until they were driving home from Clinton's. She was grateful they only lived six minutes away—she almost fell asleep in the Prelude.
Between her Friday shift and staying up late to paint that night, then staying up late with Rhett last night and getting up early for work that morning, she was bone-tired. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he told her it was Monday morning.
“It’s almost six p.m.,” he informed her. “I know you said you didn’t want to sleep past five, but I couldn’t stand to wake you.”
“It’s okay,” she reassured him. She hated how he was always so worried about doing the wrong thing around her.You know he’s like that because of you, she reminded herself silently.
“Did you take a nap, too?” she asked, pushing her hips suggestively into him again. She felt his erection begin to grow beneath his joggers.
“Uh, not exactly,” he admitted. “I was working on this…” Rhett trailed off as he gently pulled on her shoulder, prompting her to roll onto her back. She gazed up at the ceiling of his bedroom as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. Enough light was streaming in from the bathroom and hallway to illuminate dozens of cut out ornaments hanging above them. Her eyes grew wide in wonder as she realized what she was looking at.
“Paper stars,” she said breathlessly. There must have been at least fifty of them, each one taped to a small piece of ribbon and hanging above the bed at different lengths.
“Happy birthday, beautiful.” He grinned as he held two pieces of paper in front of her face.
Tori grabbed the tickets out of his hand, squinting at them through the darkness. “Are you kidding me right now?!” she squealed.
“Not kidding. You, me, and Karta Stella. The show’s next month in Ann Arbor, a week after your actual birthday, and we’ve got really good reserved seating. It’s on a Friday night, so we can head to the cabin for a few days afterwards. Just the two of us,” Rhett confirmed, answering her question before she even asked.
“Oh my gosh. This is fantastic!” Tori turned to face him. She could see him grinning even in the dark. “Thank you.” She kissed him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She kissed him over and over again, deepening it each time she went in for more. She wrapped a leg around him, excitement and gratitude radiating through her.
Rhett tried to kiss her back, but she smirked against his mouth. She giggled when he tried again. Then she started laughing so hard it was impossible for him to kiss her at all.
“What’s so funny?” he prompted, giving up on kissing her mouth and nuzzling into her neck instead.
“Do you remember the first time you put paper stars in my room?” He stilled at the recollection.
“I thought your dad was going to punch me. I was so damn nervous.” Rhett groaned, referring back to how he asked her to prom years ago.
