We were knee-deep in a very serious discussion.

“I really think Killmonger had a point,” Nidhi said.

“He might have. But he lost all credibility when he revealed his scar-covered torso,” I said.

Valentina raised her hand. “I was a big fan of Killmonger’s torso.”

“Me too!” said Nidhi.

Pointing my ketchup-covered French fry at Valentina, I said, “Yes, he’s a gorgeous man. But he literally scarred himself every time he killed someone. And he was covered in scars!”

“He still had a point,” Nidhi replied.

I laughed. Valentina, Nidhi, and I had made grabbing lunch in our building’s cafeteria and discussing Marvel characters a regular occurrence. I’d grown closer with the two of them over the three weeks we’d worked together, easily crossing the bridge from coworkers to friends. Yes, they were a few years younger than me, but the friends I had who were my age were at completely different places in their lives. Besides, I’d spent a good portion of my twenties either studying or strapped to a desk. So, if I wanted to have silly conversations about superheroes and villains, I damn well would.

Although, our new friendship was currently on shaky grounds. No one criticized my Black Panther.

“Thankfully, T’Challa saw the error of his ways and shared Wakanda’s wealth with the outside world,” I said.

Valentina frowned. “Sadly, not before Killmonger died, though.”

I threw up my hands. “Did we see the same movie? Did you not notice Killmonger trying to kill T’Challa? Am I in Crazy Town?”

Nidhi shook her head. “If only T’Chaka had brought Killmonger back to Wakanda, none of this would have happened…”

“Yes, well sometimes we make choices, not foreseeing the ripple effect they will have,” I said.

“I think we should have a screening of Black Panther so we can properly discuss this. Maybe go scene by scene?” Valentina suggested.

“That actually sounds amazing. My house tonight?” I said.

“Will your roommate be there?” Nidhi asked.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. His schedule is a mystery.”

Since our time in the closet on Monday, I hadn’t seen a lot of Avi. We’d watched TV together a few times, but he’d stayed mostly quiet, holding my feet in his lap. He was brooding, which was understandable, but I hated to think of him in pain. Maybe I’d bake him a pie. Or donut balls not filled with red beans.

Nidhi sighed. “I will have to settle for Erik Killmonger then.”

“The villain!” I cried.

Valentina and Nidhi looked at each other. “He was misunderstood!” they said together, and all of us burst into laughter.

When I got back to the office, I was still smiling to myself as I clicked open a file on my computer to review.

“Knock, knock.”

I looked up as Alex hovered just outside my door. “Hey!”

He stepped in, glancing at the quote artwork I’d hung on the wall. He raised his eyebrows in question. “Audre Lorde?”

I nodded. “I’m a fan. She was a feminist poet and activist. That’s kind of my mantra.”

He read it aloud. “‘I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.’ Huh. I like it.”

I smiled. “So, what’s up, Alex?”

He sat down in the chair in front of my desk. “Not much. I just needed to stretch my legs and I saw you come back from lunch with Nidhi.”

“And Valentina.”

“Right, of course. Looks like you guys have become friends.”

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “We have. I’m the old lady in the relationship, but luckily, I’m incredibly immature.”

He chuckled. “I think the opposite is true. Nidhi, especially, is an old soul.”

This was the second time in the span of a minute Alex had singled out Nidhi. I wondered…

“Well, the three of us are getting together tonight to analyze Black Panther. Should be a wild Friday night at my place.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “If I was more of a comic book fan, I’d ask to join you. Sounds fun.”

“Should be. And you don’t like superheroes?”

“It’s not that I’m not a fan, I just don’t know where to start.”

I shook my head. “Oh, Alex. On Monday, I’m going to bring you my collection of Avengers movies. We’ll go from there. I don’t think we can be friends if you don’t get my Tony Stark references.”

He held his hand up. “Even I know who that is. Batman, right?” Just as my brain was about to explode, he laughed. “I’m just kidding! I know Tony Stark is Flash.”

I sputtered. “Get outta here, you!”

I shook my head and turned back to my computer monitor. I couldn’t get over how different this office was from my previous one. I’d had no one to geek out with, and I sure as hell hadn’t been allowed to hang up my Audre Lorde quotes. I didn’t even know how to process the fact that I still would have been working there, more than a little miserable, if my affair with Tom had never started. Ripple effects.

After work, I went home and changed into lounge pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt that said, “Shuri is my queen”. Nidhi and Valentina would get it.

I still had a bit of time before they showed up, so I mixed up a pitcher of margaritas and had started to make a batch of brownies when I heard the front door open. My shoulders tensed, and I waited to see if Avi came into the kitchen or headed directly downstairs.

I was surprised when he appeared, a hesitant smile on his face.

“Hey,” he said.

His cheeks were slightly rosy from the cold, and his hair was a bit wind-whipped, but otherwise, he was as perfectly put together and polished as always. He wore dark, slim cut jeans cuffed at the ankle, a button-up shirt rolled to his elbows, and a skinny tie, loose in the open collar of his shirt. He made me nervous.

I smiled tentatively. “Hey, yourself.”

He stepped into the kitchen. “Something smells good.”

I held up the wooden spoon I’d been using. “I’m making brownies.”

“To share?”

“Yes, but not with you.”

He frowned and came closer. “I don’t get brownies?”

“Nope.”

He peered into the bowl, then met my eyes. “You angry at me?”

My shoulders dropped. “Why would I be?”

“Because of the tiles...and I haven’t been around that much...”

I touched his arm. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I was just kidding about the brownies. I’m making them for Nidhi and Valentina, but I’ll save you one.”

“Thank you, Laurel.”

“Want to mix while I get out the pan?”

He held his hand out. “I’ll help, but I can’t promise I won’t lick the spoon.”

I yanked the spoon out of his reach. “Oh no you don’t! You’re not licking my spoon. Maybe I’ll let you at the end.”

He leaned over me, grabbing my hand, but I held on tight.

“Come on. I promise I won’t lick it.” But under his breath, he muttered, “Maybe.”

I laughed, pushing at his chest, but he was a solid wall. It was then, with Avi’s hand, easily twice the size of my own, holding me firmly, and my free hand on his chest, I realized how close we were. With our height difference, none of the good parts were aligned, yet my breathing sped up and my nipples strained against my bra.

I tilted my head back, and our eyes locked. The smile that had been lighting his face slowly dimmed, morphing into something else. The moment was perfect. If we wanted to bridge from roommates into friends with benefits, or maybe even romance, now was the time. And the way Avi looked at me, like he’d cleared the cobwebs and was seeing clearly for the first time, told me he was just as affected by our nearness as me.

“Avi…” I whispered.

His face tipped down, edging toward mine. I wanted him. I did. I knew if I let him kiss me, it would rock both our worlds. But it wasn’t smart. And I’d promised myself I’d wise up.

Old me would have thrown caution to the wind and let this happen. New me was close to siding with old me, but my common sense won out. So, I gave him a good, hard shove. He barely moved, but the force was enough to break the spell between us.

He straightened and backed up a step, letting my hand drop. He started to say something, but I shook my head.

“Don’t you dare say sorry,” I said.

His lips curved up slightly. “No? Even if I am?”

“You have no reason to be.”

“Don’t I?”

My brows pinched together. “Are you trying to be infuriating?”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because we almost kissed and you’re trying to make things less awkward?”

He barked out a laugh, slapping the edge of the counter. “You are clearly not concerned about that.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that took over my face. “No, awkward is my resting state.” I elbowed him gently in the stomach. “Seriously, though, I think you’re fine as hell, but let’s not go down that road. We did sign a contract, after all. And I’m a lawyer, so I know how official that contract was.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, giving me an amused look. “It was very official, especially the pink highlighter. But I don’t remember any rule about no kissing.”

“If I kiss you, I’ll want to sleep with you. And you, sir, are coming off a messy break-up. You’re not ready for the likes of me.”

The words kept spilling from my mouth. Words that should have stayed on the inside. Luckily, I kept some of my thoughts to myself. Like how easy it would be to fall for Avi, to get attached to him. Like that he was nothing like Tom. And that I regretted stopping whatever might have happened from happening the second he pulled away.

He nodded slowly. “You might be right. But I can’t deny I’m even more intrigued.”

I shook my spoon at him. “Too bad. The only sweets you’re getting from me are my brownies.”

“And muffins, right? Please tell me I still get muffins.”

“Muffins too. All baked goods.”

He leaned against the counter and breathed out a long sigh. “I am sorry. We are not a match in any way. If I kissed you, it would not have been good.”

I hopped up on the counter so we were eye to eye. “Well, now I’m insulted. Are you saying you think I’m a bad kisser?”

“I’m sure you’re a lovely kisser. You are lovely. But the two of us would not be a match.”

“In a relationship? Probably not. But I’m an excellent kisser. You probably couldn’t handle me. You’d fall in love with me, and then I’d have to try to let you down gently—”

Avi’s mouth on mine sent every last word scattering. He cupped the back of my neck, angling my mouth up to his. At first, he just brushed his lips across mine, testing. When I responded by gripping his tie and pulling him closer, he took my mouth with his. He swept his tongue along the seam of my lips, and I opened, letting him into me. We tasted each other. I was chocolate, and he was clean and just a little bit sweet.

He moved to stand between my legs, a hand on the small of my back, pulling me closer. Our bodies pressed together, I dug my fingers into his shoulders. Any nerves I’d had when he’d walked in were decimated by the feel of his mouth on mine. We were on the same level now. I wasn’t wacky, silly Laurel. His kiss made me feel sexy, the way I was in my head.

I was breathless, panting, but I didn’t want to stop kissing him. In the back of my mind, I knew if we stopped, one or both of us would wise up, and right now, I didn’t want to make the smart choice.

Avi pushed up my shirt in the back, his bare hands exploring the exposed skin. His fingers were so long, his hands so wide, I felt possessed, covered, safe. His mouth broke from mine, but I didn’t have a chance to protest. He kissed along my jaw and down the side of my neck, and then he found my spot. When he licked the crook of my neck, my back arched and my legs wrapped around his waist of their own volition. I felt him smile against my neck, and then he sucked the same spot, making my eyes roll back and a low moan escape my throat.

He rocked against me, pressing his erection into my core. I was completely mindless, lost in Avi. He surrounded me, making me feel taken. And god, I wanted him to take me.

If the doorbell hadn’t rung, I would have fucked him right there on my formerly pristine countertop. But it did ring, and he jumped away from me as though it had zapped him.

“Shit,” he muttered.

I sat dazed. One second, Avi was between my legs, and the next, he was across the room, looking anywhere but at me. With my feet dangling, I suddenly felt childish and stupid, nothing like the sensual woman I’d been in his arms. I hopped down, causing him to glance my way.

He opened his mouth, but I held a hand up. “If you apologize now, I’ll scream. And my scream has been known to shatter glass, so proceed with caution.”

Avi nodded once. “I have to go out. I’m meeting my cousin for dinner.”

The doorbell rang again. “That’s probably Valentina and Nidhi.” I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled heavily. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, later.” He turned, hurrying down the stairs to the safety of the basement, and I went to the door to let my friends in.

Valentina and Nidhi were all smiles when they stepped into my place. Nidhi held up her Black Panther DVD, and then Valentina held up Thor: Ragnarok.

“Where have the two of you been all my life?” I asked, leading them into the kitchen.

I didn’t have a chance to stop and think about what had happened between Avi and me. I set it aside so I could enjoy my night with my new friends and avoid the feeling of utter humiliation that was sure to set in the second I really thought about how I’d reacted to his kiss.

I’d warned him he’d be the one to fall for me, but I was clearly the one in a puddle on the floor.