Page 57 of Love in the Lab
I slide my other arm out from under Molly and stretch it out to get the blood flowing again. I left my phone in the living room when I came in here last night, and the digital clock on my nightstand isn’t working. The power’s still out. I try to gauge what time it is based on the amount of light coming through the window, but I’m really terrible at that.
Since I’m up, I roll out of bed as quietly as possible and tiptoe out of the room. I retrieve my phone from the coffee table and my shirt from the back of the couch. Seven in the morning. My phone battery’s at 54 percent, which isn’t bad, considering. I have a portable power bank fully charged in the kitchen. I made sure it was ready to go before the storm. I’ll check with Molly when she wakes up in case her phone situation is more dire than mine, though.
I walk into the kitchen to figure out what I can offer Molly for breakfast, my shirt flung over my shoulder. I try to remember what I have in the refrigerator without opening it up and letting what might be left of the cold air out. How long does the air stay cool in a refrigerator without power? I can’t remember, but I do know the freezer will stay cold longer.
Motion in my peripheral vision causes me to turn my head in time to watch Molly shuffle into the kitchen. She’s still wearing her pajamas—striped, loose-fitting shorts that hit about mid-thigh and a T-shirt so oversized that it almost covers the shorts completely—and her hair is tousled from sleep. It’s a heavenlycombination, and I’m still pinching myself, wondering if I was really fortunate enough to spoon with her all last night.
Her cheeks are flushed pink, and she won’t quite meet my eyes, though I notice she peruses my naked chest before dropping her gaze. I play it cool. “Good morning, Carrots.” Giving her space, I lean my butt against the kitchen counter next to the refrigerator.
“Good morning,” she mumbles. Still looking at the floor, she shuffles her feet. “We probably need to talk.”
My heart seizes. Is she going to walk our second kiss back the way she did the first? I’m not sure I can stand that. I pull my shirt over my head, covering my torso. “We absolutely should talk,” I agree. “But not before we eat breakfast. How do fruit pops sound?”
She lifts her head in surprise, finally looking me in the eye. “For breakfast?”
I grin. “Yeah. They’ll melt soon if we don’t eat them.” I scrunch my forehead in thought. “I think I have strawberry and lemon.”
The corners of her lips tick up. “I’ll have lemon, please.”
“Yes, ma’am. Coming right up.” I straighten and open the freezer, pulling out the boxes of fruit pops as quickly as I can so I can shut the door again. Still cold. That’s a good sign.
I gesture to my small kitchen table, and she takes a seat. I set the boxes of fruit pops in the center of the table. Both boxes have already been opened, with three lemon and two strawberry remaining.
I move back toward the refrigerator and open the door to grab a couple bottles of water. They’re room temperature, which tells me I’ll have to throw out the half bottle of milk, pound of raw ground beef, and package of deli turkey in there. I have two or three containers of leftovers, too, but I probably should have already thrown those out weeks ago.
I hand a bottle to Molly and sit in the chair next to hers. She’s already helped herself to a lemon fruit pop, her tongue popping out from between her lips as she licks it. The sharp memory of the feel of those lips on mine, that tongue in my mouth, forms like a movie reel in my head. My heart pounds. Maybe popsicles were a bad idea.
I gulp and tear my gaze away from her mouth. “How’s the charge on your phone?” I ask.
She frowns and looks down at her phone on the table in front of her. “Twenty percent,” she answers. “Oh, and I have a text.” Her eyebrows scrunch together as she reads it. “It’s a notification from my apartment manager. No damage to the building, but the power is out.”
I nod. “Same as here, then. Do you want me to take you home, or…?”Please say no. Please say no.
“No.” She locks eyes with me. “Like I said, we should talk today.”
“Yeah,” I agree reluctantly.
“But first, can we walk outside? Is it safe? I want to see what it looks like.”
“Sure. It’s safe. Hernando came and went quickly. It’s sunny this morning.”
We finish our fruit pops, me using all my restraint to keep my eyes fixed firmly on the kitchen cabinets above Molly’s head. Then, as Molly goes into the bathroom to change her clothes, I plug her phone into the power bank to charge.
Molly reappears in leggings and a fitted T-shirt. We both put on shoes and make our way out of the apartment and onto the sidewalk below.
The first thing I notice as we walk down the block is that it’s much cooler outside. The temperature must have dropped at least ten degrees since yesterday morning. I shiver in my basketball shorts and T-shirt.
The second thing I notice is the fallen tree branches and clumps of Spanish moss littering the sidewalk and street. The fabric of my building’s awning is tattered, strips of it hanging off the frame.
The third thing I notice is Molly slipping her hand into mine, intertwining our fingers. I turn toward her, my mouth hanging open in surprise. “You’re holding my hand.”
She smiles shyly, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “Yeah. Is that okay?”
I squeeze her hand. “For the record, I’m always okay with you touching me.” I stop walking and turn my body to face her fully. I bring my free hand between us, enclosing her hand between both of mine. I study her face. “Areyouokay with it? I mean, what does this mean? We kissed again yesterday. Well, ‘kissed’ is probably an understatement, but I know adrenaline was running high, and maybe you regret it now. And then last night, you were scared, so I understand if I was just a source of comfort.”
“Jonathan,” Molly says in a soft voice.
I recognize that I’m rambling, but I can’t seem to stop every thought in my head from pouring out of my mouth. “Molly, you have to know that I’m so into you. I don’t … I don’t know if I can handle it if you brush me off again.” I swallow. “But if that’s what you feel you need to do, I respect that.” I clamp my mouth shut.
