Chapter 19
Darren
I got back to my house just as the sun had finished setting. I wasn’t sure whether Bo still had company, or if I was only going to be greeted by my canine companion.
Sure enough, as I unlocked and opened my front door, I was greeted by many things. I was hit by the enticing smell of sensational food. Bo jumped at me, giving me love and horseplay. Bailey was in the kitchen, over the stove, finishing up a meal that she’d cooked for me. It appeared, at first, that she was only wearing one of my shirts and nothing else. But the shorts she had on underneath the shirt were so short that they may as well have been nonexistent.
“What’s this?” I asked Bailey as I glanced at the mashed potatoes, breaded chicken, and the many vegetables.
“I made us all dinner!” she answered. “I even found some special kind of dog food while I was out today. It’s got little chicken-flavored thingies, so it’ll be almost like we’re all sharing a meal.”
“Sounds amazing,” I said as I clumsily took a seat.
I was awe-struck by all of it. In all my years of dreaming and thinking up moments like the one I’d just walked into, it could not have been any better than what I had right then and there.
She kept looking back at me without turning her body. “What?” She giggled.
“What?” I asked.
“You look like you’re high or something,” she said.
“I’m high on life right now,” I told her. “If I could freeze time and forever capture a moment fully it would be this one right here.”
She put her pot down on the stove and marched right over to me. She sat in my lap, facing me, burying her fine ass as low as it would go.
“What about this moment right now?” she asked.
“I think this can be included in the overall moment, starting right when I walked through the door,” I said.
“Fair enough,” she said, kissing me long and softly on the lips before standing back up and finishing up by the oven.
I finished setting up the kitchen table; even lighting candles, which I never did. I put on some music that we both enjoyed listening to, setting the mood for a calm and collected Monday night.
We chatted for a good portion of our meal as we shoveled it down our gullets. Bailey had outdone herself, and I knew I wanted to get fat on her food.
Once we went back for seconds, and Bo was finishing up his bowl, I knew I wanted to steer us into a good conversation. I didn’t want to bring up how she was going to have to leave soon. I was aware that she surely understood that fact and had probably been thinking about it as much as I had.
“Thank you so much for all of this, Bailey,” I said.
“You’re very welcome,” she said. “How was work?”
“Pretty damn boring, to tell you the truth.”
“I was thinking about tour dates,” she said. “Leah thinks I should play around here. You know, like the south and southeast? I don’t know. I mean, I do want to give it a shot and build a real fan-base. But, I don’t think I’m well known enough to think I should go on tour, you know? I go back and forth on it.”
“I think you’ve been making excellent choices concerning your career so far,” I said while finishing a bite of green beans. “Go with your gut. Without all the details weighing you down. Think of it simply. What seems like the right choice?”
“I honestly don’t know,” she shrugged. “I’ve been having a hard time figuring out what I want lately.”
“Tell me about it.”
We took a few more bites, slowing down slightly on our race to clean our plates.
“How’ve you been feeling lately?” she asked.
My heart sank. I didn’t want to answer the question stupidly or weakly.
“Huh?”
I felt like a total idiot. She beamed.
“How do you feel about things these days?” she continued. “I’ve been thinking about some of the things you were saying before. Some of it was pretty serious.”
“Yeah.” I chuckled in further embarrassment, remembering how I’d implied that I was still in love with her like a dope.
“I’ve been really enjoying our time together,” she said.
“Me too,” I replied. “Being with you these last few days has been such a thrill. Seeing you again—it’s really taken me back to when we were younger. I feel like a dumb boy that doesn’t know how to talk to girls whenever I talk to you.”
She laughed. “I think you’re better than you think you are.”
“I don’t want it to end,” I stated.
“Neither do I.”
We slid our hands closer together on the table until they collided. We held onto each other, caressing each other’s fingers and squeezing tightly.
“I can’t encourage you to play music with me?” she asked with doe eyes.
“You can try, but I can’t open myself up to humiliation like that,” I said. “I already embarrass myself around you a lot as it is. I know I’d make an ass out of myself trying to keep up with you.”
“Hey, you know how to keep up with me,” she said suggestively.
“In many ways, this is true,” I concurred. “I haven’t played music the way I used to in a long, long time. I could probably play one of our older, simpler tunes. But, we don’t even like singing those anymore now that we’re older.”
“Fuck that!” she said, slamming our hands together on the table. “Let’s go play, goddamn it!”
“Let’s not get carried away,” I said while trying to keep her at the table.
“I think we’re past carried away, aren’t we?” she asked with raised eyebrows.
“You don’t think singing together will make it harder when you leave?”
“Of course, I do,” she replied. “But, I still want to do it anyway.”
Although I still refused to play an instrument, she pulled out her guitar and played acoustically as we both sang together. We sang for almost an hour, never giving it our fullest, but going full enough that it felt like the old days again.
When we finished, we were determined to keep the house from going totally silent. I sat with Bo, playing with him and giving him attention while Bailey watched TV.
“I should probably take care of the dishes,” said Bailey during a commercial.
She collected our dishes and the dirty cookware and gathered them by the sink. She washed the dishes, not turning around or moving from her spot.
I kept trying to think of something to talk with her about. I wanted to have a conversation with her, even though I didn’t care what we’d actually say. I just liked hearing her voice.
I stood up and approached her. I reached out to try and touch her, but I was reluctant. My mouth was hanging agape while she worked by the sink.
“Bailey.”
“Yes?” she asked without facing me.
I followed my gut. I stumbled forward and wrapped my arms around her. She paused her dishwashing to pat my hands. Her hands were soaking wet, dripping down onto the floor. I leaned my head on her shoulder.
“Darren,” she moaned.
Daring, I decided to kiss her. I started kissing her on her neck, softly and around the same spot, never deviating far. She liked how I tenderized her neck, never stopping and always willing to use some teeth to lightly nibble.
“You’re too much,” she whispered.
I rubbed her shoulders, massaging her forcefully while my lips and tongue worked delicately on her soft skin.
“I need to do these dishes.” she said, backing her ass up into me.
“Leave them,” I ordered. “There are way more important things to do. I promise.”
She turned around, facing me with those captivating eyes. Her sexy lips were slightly parted, growing further apart the closer I got.
Before we made contact, I turned around, remembering that we weren’t alone.
“Bo,” I called out. “Go to bed.”
Bo obeyed his command, trotting out of the kitchen to go to my bedroom.
I turned back to face Bailey. I picked a line of soapy bubbles off a strand of her hair, flicking it away.
“Lady, I want you,” I said.
She meandered over to the kitchen table, which was now clear of dishes, glasses, and silverware. She climbed onto it, sitting on the edge and inviting me.
“Come get it, sir,” she said as she spread her legs partially open, waiting for me to move them all the way apart.