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“Well, look what the cat drug in,” Tori says, rounding the table, giving Max a hug. I get up to hit the bathroom. When I step out of the hallway, Tori stops me, handing me a napkin.
“I swear I washed them,” I joke, holding my hands out. “You want to smell 'em?” I recall Everly used to always do that after coming out of the bathroom just to make sure I washed. I shake my head at the memory, how weird to associate the memory to one name and now making new memories with a different name, but same person. It’s confusing.
She wrinkles up her nose and jerks back. “No. Ell called and begged me to send over food since she’s too busy studying.” A stupid grin stretches across my face as I reach for the napkin. She flicks it back. “Don’t make me regret this Kase. I like you. Right now. But you screw with her, you will regret it.”
I nod, happy that Ellie has a friend like her. “I promise I won’t hurt her.” If anyone gets hurt, it’ll be me. She flicks the napkin forward and I snatch it. I glance up from the napkin, confused. “Do you serve this here?”
“Not unless I’m hiding a sushi chef in the back,” she snickers. “I figured if you will take her something, it might as well be something she really likes.”
An hour later with dinner in hand, I wonder when she started liking sushi. She hated it when she was a teenager. She's different now. I need to stop looking for similarities and focus on the woman she is today. It’s been two weeks since our first date. Our schedules have been hectic, preventing a second, so I’m indebted to Tori for this. I only hope Ellie doesn’t mind.
“Hey,” she says, answering the door. “What are you doing here?”
I hold up the bag of sushi and her eyes widen. “Thought you might be hungry.”
Her face transforms, one eyebrow lifts up. “Actually, I just ate.”
I bite my lip from laughing, knowing she’s lying. “Hmm. Guess I’m having sushi alone tonight.” I shrug, and turn around to walk away, but she lunges forward, seizing my shirt.
“Okay, I lied. I’m starving.”
I hide the amused smile on my face when I turn and mosey into her apartment. Papers are scattered across the living room floor, so I place the food on the dining table.
“So, how long have you and Tori been best buddies?”
I chuckle, leaning back in a chair with my legs spread out and my arms behind my head. “Not sure what you mean?”
“I call bullshit. You don’t just show up with food…” She peeks at the writing outside the Styrofoam boxes. “My exact favorite rolls, after I called Tori telling her I was starving.”
I shrug. “I might've had a little birdie tell me.”
“More like a big mouth parrot, who likes to repeat things,” she snickers, taking off the plastic lids. “But I appreciate it. I needed a break from studying.” I watch her open the soy sauce packets, pouring them in a small cup and add wasabi to it, mixing it together and then rearrange her sushi in front of her. Her blue eyes peek up through her lashes and she softly smiles. “I feel as if you’re studying me.”
Always. Every move you make, I take note.
“I’m just enjoying your very methodical way of eating sushi.”
When she takes her first bite, she moans. I try to ignore the sound, tapping my chopsticks on the table, making them even. As I’m dipping a piece into soy sauce, another moan comes out and I drop my sushi into the bowl. I glance at her. “You have to stop making those noises,” I rasp, adjusting my shorts to make room for my semi-hard dick. Her cheeks redden, and she bites her bottom lip.
Fuck! Stop doing that too!
“I’m sorry. My stomach has been yelling at me to eat something for the past two hours. Thank you for bringing it.”
“You should taste the sushi in Tokyo. It’s amazing. The freshest sushi you’ll ever have.”
“I can imagine. Then again, it’s probably better I not go, I’d hate to ruin my love for it here.” She brings another bite to her mouth. When she finishes, she asks, “Have you been to a lot of places?”
I nod, thinking about the places I could never tell her. There are too many to count. “Most weren’t glamorous though.”
She lets out a quiet hum and twirls her hair. I wonder what she’s thinking to make her nervous. “Are you doing okay? I would imagine being away from all that and dealing with…” She hesitates, winces and looks away. “You don’t have to answer. I just—”
I lay my hand on hers to calm her fidgetiness. “I’m doing all right. I have my moments, but mostly, I’m good.” I flash a reassuring smile. My nightmares aren't meant to be shared. They’re becoming less frequent these days.
I can’t help but use this moment to see if she’ll share a little with me. “How did you get this?” I gently pull my thumb down her forearm, tracing the four-inch scar. She pulls her arm back, cradles it against her stomach.
“I was in an accident. Years ago.” Her voice is calm, but the way her body tenses, her eyes dilate, I can tell she’s nervous. She chews the inside of her cheek, debating if she'll tell me more. “Sorry.” She shakes her head and looks away. “I don’t like talking about it.”
I inwardly cringe. Why did I bring it up? We’re moving forward, I can’t have her slide back, doubt creeping back into her head. “Hey, that’s okay. Look, I’ve got a shitload of scars,” I say, lifting my shirt and pointing at one. Her eyes widen, and she lets outs a small gasp.
