Page 37 of To Go
“Turkey okay for you?” he asks as he spreads mayo and prepares toppings. He’s created an entire sandwich bar for us. It’s incredibly endearing. I can’t fight the smile that takes over.
“That’s perfect,” I say, grabbing the toasted bread and making my own massive, stacked sandwich. He side-eyes my creation as I bring it to the table, digging in immediately.
“Work up an appetite there, sunshine?” he asks around a monstrous bite of his own.
“Carnal pursuits require much energy, apparently.” I reply haughtily. James snorts, then chokes on his sandwich. I smile to myself, not remotely apologetic. We eat in comfortable silence for a while until James clears his throat.
“Apparently the roads are getting cleared tonight. They’re saying it’s safe to travel after that.”
“Oh.”
“I’m not kicking you out,” he assures me, “but I don’t want you to think I didn’t tell you so that I could keep you all to myself.” The tightness in my stomach loosens. He isn’t looking to get rid of me. “Because trust me, sunshine, I really want to keep you all to myself.”
“That’s alright. I should probably leave in the morning anyway. I’m sure that Beck will need me back at work eventually…” The thought of leaving our bubble and returning to the real world is sobering.
“Stella,” James says seriously, walking around the table to stand between my knees, “I need you to know that this is the best snow day I’ve ever had.” I throw my head back, laughing.
“Had many of those?”
“No, but each one after this will be a disappointment. Hands down.” He kisses my forehead reverently. “You are incredible.”He holds my gaze until he hears a knock at the door. We exchange a puzzled look before he hesitantly opens it.
“Stella! I’ve been so worried about you!” Maria shouts as she storms into the apartment, her dark, thick locks waving behind her as she rushes in. “Hazel said she was sending you my way, and I couldn’t get a hold of you, and I don’t think I breathed for a moment until I heard you were safe here.” I’m completely covered by her as she hugs the living crap out of me, squishing my face into her generous cleavage. Slender as she is, at 5’10” she still manages to be an intimidating presence. She pulls away, her dark, heavily lashed eyes bore into mine as though she can sense my wellbeing by staring at me.
“Thank you for taking care of her,” she says in her gently accented voice, turning to James without releasing me. “She’s precious, this one.” I blush, but James smiles knowingly. Maria gently pets my head, which is still squished into her boobs.
How does she get these so soft?
“That she is.” I can’t stop staring at him, and it takes a second to realize that Maria has clued into what’s going on.
“So…” she says, eyes darting between us, “I’m guessing we aren’t telling anybody about this little escapade?”
“I, uh, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I choke out.
“Querida, your neck is purple,” she says simply, poking a love bite that lingers there. I wince abashedly.
Kill. Me. Now.
“We would appreciate your discretion,” James says evenly, his expression unreadable.
“You kept her warm, fed, and off the streets. You have nothing to fear from me,” Maria affirms. Her eyes catch on the frozen pizza boxes shoved in the recycling bin. “Have you been eating… frozen food?” she asks in abject horror, her trembling fingers fluttering to her mouth. I shrug my shoulders, unsure of how to answer such an obvious accusation. “Oh dear lord,” she mutters,grumbling something to herself about burning that from her memory.
“In my defense, she ruined my groceries.” I glare at James as he oh-so-sweetly throws me under the bus.
“I fell! It was an accident,” I say, whirling on him with a snarl. I want to smack his self-satisfied smirk off his smarmy, stupid….
What’s another ‘s’ word?
Maria cuts off my internal struggle. “I should be on my way anyway. Now that I have proof of life, I’ll leave you two to your canoodling. I have plants to attend to.” She twiddles her fingers as she floats out of the apartment, leaving us both stunned.
“You think she actually won’t say anything?” I ask James, panic clawing its way through my stomach. I know it’s not a big deal, but if Nessa decides this is unforgiveable, I’m the one getting the boot. And if she disowns me, Hazel might, too, since they’re so close.
Sensing my spiraling thoughts, James wraps me in an embrace.
“Everything is going to be fine, sunshine. Even if people do find out, I promise it’s not going to be a big deal. That’s why we’re not saying anything. Because it’s not a big deal and we don’t need people freaking out.”
“Right. Because we’re not even together. Just for the storm.”
“Just for the storm,” he confirms, his warm green gaze boring into my own. “You’re not embarrassed, are you?”
