Page 15 of Double Standard

“If the muck boots fit...” I notice the twist of her lips and the laugh caught in her throat.

“And what doyouknow about muck?” I reach over and toy with the soft terrycloth belt of her robe. It makes it too easy to tug her closer to me, and she comes willingly.

“Just that that’s where we’ll be stuck if people start to doubt that we’re dating. Are you in?”

“Whatever you want,” I answer, because I don’t trust myself to say yes without sounding overeager. Of course the answer is yes. I’ve been thinking about our kisses at the hospital, and the contentedhmmthat came from her throat, for days now.

She pulls me over to her couch and yanks me down to sit next to her. She positions her phone in the center of a stand with a ring light. Adjusting the height to capture us on the couch, she flips to the front camera and scoots left on the cushions with a tug for me to follow. “How’s this?” She gestures to the two of us on the screen.

I laugh. “It’s a lot of my abs.”

“That’s half the point. We’ll do a video. I’ll grab a still.” She leans forward to press record, and I realize we should’ve made a game plan, because now we’re just looking at each other. I can’t stand the silence, and I hear myselfsay, “Game on,” as I bring a hand to her jaw and lean in. I miss the chance to regret the words because her eyes flutter closed, her hand grips my forearm, and she brings her mouth to mine.

She starts with one, two, three light presses of her lips. I can see us frame by frame in my mind, and it looks like a stage kiss. Itfeelslike a stage kiss. I move my hand to the back of her head and grip. “I know you can do better than that,” I whisper into her mouth. She leans away to catch my gaze, to watch my expression as she drops her hand from my arm and glides it up my thigh. She doesn’t wait for me to respond before diving back into the kiss and pulling my bottom lip between hers.

The sudden pressure of her fingertips and the hot slide of her tongue against mine is more than I meant but exactly what I need. My fingers thread through her hair and pull; my groan fills the space where her breath catches. When she walks her hand over my hip to the exposed flesh of my stomach and runs her fingernails along the skin, my control snaps. I bring a hand to her chest and push to lay her down, chasing her mouth as I hover over her. She tightens an arm around my neck to keep me there.

Buzz.

The vibration of the text message feels as startling as a gong. Ana gasps and pulls back her arm; I sit up and shake out my shoulders. She scrambles to her feet and reties the belt of her robe before reaching for her phone.

“I guess we were out of frame for some of that,” I say. It’s stupid. She doesn’t want to talk about hownot fakethe moment became.

“Yeah. Pretty, uh, convincing though.” She takes a deep breath. “Good work.”

I run a hand through my hair. “You too.”

Awkwardness hangs in the air like fog. We’re back to staring at each other with no plan forward. It’s then I remember that I’m supposed to have a scheme myself.

“So um. My idea,” I start, and something thankfully materializes. “Since we’re off tomorrow and I need groceries—maybe you could come with me.”

“...To the store?” Her raised eyebrow says no but I continue anyway.

“Yeah. It’ll be fun. A normal couple activity, like a casual date.”

“Getting coffee is a casual date. Getting groceries is a chore. At best, an errand.”

I lean against a shallow counter and cross one ankle in front of the other. “An opportunity to show people we’re happy together, even doing something mundane.”

One side of her bottom lip is pulled between her teeth as she considers the idea. I keep my eyes on hers. She fiddles again with the belt of her robe.

“OK,” she agrees with a nod. I try to keep my grin from spreading too wide.

As I walk toward the trailer door, I tell her I’ll text herabout logistics. I hop down the stairs, stop at the bottom, and turn back. “And Ana?”

“Yeah?” She’s leaning against the doorframe and peering down at me. She meets my eyes, and her face brightens.

“Anything can be a date with the right intentions.”

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