We were at a mutual friend’s wedding and per our usual, came as each other’s dates.
Personally, I hated weddings. The crying, the fake tradition and pretense.
Don't even get me started on the flowers...
Leaning into me, Ryan asked, “What will your wedding be like?”
Rolling my eyes, I whisper, “Are you dying to be my maid of honor or something?”
“I'm serious,” he nudged me. “You want to get married someday, don't you?”
Deflecting like a pro, I asked, “Do you?”
With a dreamy look, (which I had never seen before) he said, “Yeah Finn, I'd make a good husband.”
Back in Detroit, standing in line for coffee, I couldn’t ignore the group of women in front of me that were discussing personal trainers, Botox, the importance of designer shoes and side pieces. I wasn’t envious of their odd dynamic, but God damn, they were seriously entertaining to listen to.
Since being back in town, Nix has been on edge but not sharing what put him there. So needless to say, someone else’s drama was a nice change to my own. Considering theirs ended with divorce and alimony and mine ended with a painful death...
Accidentally bumping me, one apologizes then blurts, “Are you married?”
“No, I’m not married.” Seriously, women were odd and groups of them baffled me...
“Divorced then,” she pushes for information.
“No,” I repeat. “I’ve never been married.”
Hearing this, another chimes in, “How many kids do you have?”
What was with these women? “No kids either.”
Stunned, the third practically yells, “So, you what? You work?” as if it was the most distasteful concept in the world.
“Yes, I work,” I reply although for the last week I haven’t collected a pay check for it. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Circling, as if I was fresh prey, they start squawking and pointing. Spouting weird shit like, “You need a husband with kids, two marriages under your belt, alimony, a good attorney and a plastic surgeon…”
Wondering what fucking alternate dimension I was in, I was spared running for it when I felt his hands slide around my waist. Stunned into silence the women openly lusted after Nix who didn’t seem to care about the attention in the slightest.
“I missed you,” he whispers just loud enough to be heard.
“Just waiting on our coffee, muffin.”
“We only need one,” he says seductively. “I’d rather taste mine from your lips.”
“Okay,” one openly gasps. “He’s got to be married.”
“No man is that into a woman like that unless he’s married,” another adds.
“Ladies,” Nix says placing his hands squarely on my ass. “When a man finds his mate, he’s more than into her.”
Cupping my face, he kisses me deep finishing with, “Because when a man finds his mate, she is all he sees.”
“You are so getting another blow job,” I promise him publicly.
“Come on, Kitten,” he says moving away from the gawking housewives of Detroit.
Now outside, I say, “Thanks for the save. I was starting to panic and ask for Botox referrals.”
“They forgot cream,” he says staring into his cup.
Ruffling through my pack, I offer, “Here,” handing him mine.
“You keep creamer in your backpack?”
“Everything a girl needs to survive is in this pack.”
And when he smiled, I did too. Because Nix wasn’t a smiler by nature so when he bestowed them upon me, each felt like a gift. Ryan always got me. He never teased about living out of a pack because he did too. The few times I’d met other men, let’s just say they did not get me. At all. But Phoenix did. Honestly, I could carry around a bag full of fresh shit and he’d think it was precious. Because it was me doing it.
Placing his palm on the small of my back, he leads us to an empty table where we sat happy to watch the drop-in basketball game.
Sipping our drinks, content to be in each other’s company, Nix knows something’s up when I keep glancing to my right. “You’ve got a look in your eyes,” he whispers sexily.
“What look is that?” I ask innocently.
“The one where I end up out of my comfort zone.”
Smirking because he was right, I lean in cooing, “Baby, we’re both about to leave our comfort zones.”
Because for the last few minutes I’ve been watching a group of teens doing something that I found hilarious while the nearby adults found it annoying.
A kid stuck in an adult’s body myself, I had to see what it was all about.
Taking his hand, I haul him up leading us over to the group.
Game on.