Page 170 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“I should have gotten it done Friday, but I was busy,” I told her. “I’m sorry to cut this short.”
“It’s fine,” she said, wrapping the sheet around her naked body. “I’ll grab my clothes, they’re still in the living room, I think?”
I nodded, thinking about last night. I wanted to go for another round, but I really needed to get my article done before Tom ripped me a new one. I got dressed in my room as Tiffany got dressed in the living room.
“I’ll drive you home on my way to the office,” I said.
“Thanks,” she replied. “I would hate to do a walk of shame in an Uber right now.”
* * *
“Thank you again for last night,” I leaned over my car console to kiss Tiffany. Her lips met mine briefly.
“Thank you,” she said. “I think I’m actually going to head back to sleep after I go inside. You wore me out, Cayden Lewis.”
I grinned. I wasn’t sure why she had started using my first and last name together, but I found it endearing. I had a nickname, if you could call it that.
She got out of the car and I watched her walk into her place. I couldn’t believe I had to go to work. I would not be able to concentrate after last night, but I had to get this piece done for Tom.
As I drove to work, I thought about what had transpired over the past few days. Last week at this time, I was interested in Tiffany, but never imagined that in one week’s time, we would end up here. I hoped we hadn’t gone too far too fast. I didn’t regret it one bit, but I wasn’t worried about me. I was worried about her.
She stirred emotions inside of me that I hadn’t felt in a long time. Layla’s death had taken a toll on me. I wasn’t sure that I had wanted to move on before I met Tiffany. Tiffany had ignited a fire within me. It was more than just her looks. She was everything I wanted in a partner. She was driven, talented, and sweet.
I wondered if I had to ask her to be my girlfriend. Did adults even do that, or did they just assume the other person knew they were dating? I would have to consult my sister on that one. I definitely wanted to be committed to Tiffany. I was falling fast and could not stop myself.
I headed to my office and sure enough, all the work that I had left on my desk was still there. I sighed as I took a seat and began to comb through the papers. I smiled as I thought how different I was coming back to work. On Friday, I was frazzled, unsure of what to do next with Tiffany. Less than forty-eight hours later, I was waking up next to her. Quite the turn of events.
Without the worry of our relationship, I was able to work quickly. I wrapped up my article before three that afternoon. I emailed a copy to Tom and left the office. I didn’t even mind that I had to go to work on a Sunday. I was floating on cloud nine after the hot sex that I had last night.
I jumped into my car and put the top down. It was a beautiful day in the city. It was as if Miami itself knew that I had sex last night. The city was continuing to celebrate with me. I drove home and suddenly realized how exhausted I was from the night before. I crashed on my couch and didn’t wake up until eight.
After I ordered some pizza, I decided to give Tiffany a call. I could have texted, but I found that to be informal, especially after being so intimate last night.
“Hello?” she said. She must have known it was me from the caller ID, but she sounded surprised.
“Hey, Tiffany,” I said. “How was your day?”
“It was fine,” she said. She sounded distant, like something was bothering her. This was very different from the Tiffany that I had left this morning. I thought we had made some progress.
“What did you do?” I asked, trying to get her into the conversation.
“There was a Kardashian marathon on,” she said. “I felt like having a lazy day.”
“I don’t blame you. I actually came home from work and fell asleep until a few minutes ago. You wore me out.”
“Oh.”
Oh? I wasn’t sure what was going on with her, but I did not like it. I missed the bubbly, talkative Tiffany. Was that person just the wine talking?
“What’s wrong?” I asked. Obviously, something was bothering her, and she wasn’t trying to hide it from me. Did she not think last night went as well as I did?
“It’s just… is this all a joke?” she asked. I was taken aback by her question. A joke?
“Is all what a joke?” I questioned, not fully understanding what she was asking. She sighed.
“This, whatever we are. Are you just using me to win a bet or something?”
I could not believe she was asking such questions. Did she really not believe that I could care about her without it being a joke or a bet?
