Page 22 of Up All Night
“So, now that I know, I’m prepared.And for the record, I really don’t care."
“I’m never home.And when I am, I’m always outside."
“So, hire cleaning lady.I have one."
“I can’t do that."
She’s in a cute little summer dress.It’s white cotton, with pockets on either side.She’s the type that looks good in both business and in casual attire.Her hair is also tied up in a messy bun on the top of her head.She looks as cute as hell.“Why not?"I ask her, as I sit down in the lounger next to her.
“Because I would be judged."
I rest my ankles on the small wicker ottoman in front of me.There is a gazebo to our left, and I can’t help but wonder why we’re not sitting in there.“By who?"
“I don’t know.I just figure if I can’t discipline myself enough to clean my own damn house, then people will judge me poorly.”
“If you’ve got people like that in your life, you should tell them to shove it.”
The pool is in ground.She doesn’t have a pool house, but she does have a small shed.The pool is spotless, immaculate, as is the grass, the garden, and there isn’t so much as a loose leaf anywhere.“Besides, it looks like you know where your priorities are, seeing as your backyard is fit for a king.You having a dirty house and a clean backyard just means that you like being outdoors is all.Anyone that knows you should know that much, and if they don’t, then they shouldn’t give a shit anyway."
She rests her hand above her head on the lounger next to me.“That’s awfully deep for a Wednesday afternoon, Stone.You keep talking like that, and we’re gonna have to bust out the wine."
I let out a soft chuckle.“Are we going in the pool before or after we eat?”
“Whatever you like.I practically live in the pool.”
“You go swimming in that?"
She looks at me, closing one eye to shield it from the sun.“This jumper is a beach cover-up.It’s made of terry towel.My bathing suit is underneath, if you really want to know."
“Well, I don’t have any fancy beach cover-up.Is there somewhere that I can change?”
“If you don’t mind the mess, you can use the powder room just on the other side of the sliding doors there.”
“I guess that means I’m not getting a tour."I comment playfully.
She waves dismissively behind me with her arm, as I walk towards the sliding glass doors.“Take a look around if you want.Clean if you really want."
With my bathing suit tucked in my pocket, I walk inside her house.It is messy, but I’ve seen way worse.It’s nothing that a couple of hours couldn’t solve.The outside of the house is deceiving.From the outside, the house looks very tiny and cute, but on the inside, it’s open concept, and designed to look larger than it really is.Inside the sliding glass doors is the kitchen, which looks fairly new.
The living room is just beyond the kitchen, and the powder room is just at the bottom of the family room.The hardwood and tile look new, and the warm white paint looks relatively fresh.I ignore the clothes hanging off the leather couch, and the dishes piled on the coffee table, and when I go inside the powder room, it’s clean.I’m changed into my boxers and outside the powder room in minutes.
When I come back outside, there are white bags on the gazebo table, that she’s organizing.She looks up.“Food is here.I took the liberty of ordering from my favorite restaurant.I hope that’s okay.I ordered a variety of stuff, because I didn’t know what you like."
“Food is food.“
“It’s Chinese.You like Chinese, right?"
“Not particularly, but I’ll bite."
“You’ll change your ways once you taste this stuff.This is my favorite restaurant when I’m ordering in, which is never.That is one thing that I make sure I do, even though I don’t clean my house.I eat well.If you snoop and look inside my refrigerator, you would see for yourself."
“I am not judging.But that shit smells delicious."
I can’t help but notice that her eyes are on my naked chest.I wasn’t sure how to approach this tonight.I’m thinking that this gesture implies that this is more than a one-night stand, which I’m not sure if that's what she wants.I’m not sure even if that’s what I want.Either way, I wanted to see her again.So here I am.
My stomach growls loudly.She looks at my belly and we both start laughing."Hungry?"
“I guess I am."
