Tiffany
Sometime later…
So much has happened.
Nix and Levi got married, giving me the opportunity to travel to Los Cabos. Everything about the trip had me dreaming of going back before we even left. I shared a room with Kyle, and it was fine. Our second stab at friendship had been doing great for weeks. We were stronger than ever before, somehow. Nobody quite understood what we were, not even us, so whenever our friendship was mentioned, it was called our ‘thing’. Of course, we’d had some ups and downs, but we were determined to keep our friendship easy and simple, with no strings.
Val, Nix and Bekka’s best friend, moved back to town from the east coast after a dramatic break-up. For a couple of weeks, I felt like an outsider because the girls’ trio had reunited, and I wasn’t sure where that left me. Until everything settled down, I was hanging out with the lads more.
While I sat with Kyle at his station, noticing how he looked at me when he thought I wasn’t paying attention, he worked on a client’s tattoo design. I played it cool, and didn’t think anything of it.
“You never said anything about it again, but you mentioned a while back you weren’t sure about staying here in Seattle. Have you made up your mind yet?”
“I’m staying. I still have periods where I miss home, or wonder if I’d prefer a new life in New York or California, but I always end up staying here.”
“Admit it, you would miss me too much,” he said laughing.
“Of course.” My face flushed with the truth of my words. I would miss him, and would hate to give up on us now.
This friendship had been the most complicated one in my life. Everything about it, down to always being careful not to overstep the friend boundaries, had been difficult. Yes, we had more benefits than other friendships, but that made everything harder. Sex was good, making out, too, as long as we controlled our emotions. For once in my life, though, it felt good to be single and not be worrying about the guy I was with. All I had to worry about was me, which had been great.
“What about you? Would you miss me?” The words came out without me thinking. I wanted to take them back, but it was too late.
He dropped his pen on the table, and I knew I had done something wrong. “Look at me,” he ordered. “Levi’s with Nix and Tyler’s got Bekka. Even Val has Miles, so that leaves us. I’m pretty happy with how we’ve turned out—whatever it is that we are. Yes, Tiff, I would miss you.”
For about two seconds, I managed to control my smile, hold it back, but then failed miserably. He watched me, waiting for it to be happy, and then, he smiled, too, and it filled a void in my heart. Kyle cared, and he had admitted it out loud.
“It’s your day off, right? Will you come to my house tonight? For dinner.”
“Yeah, I’m off…” Really? “Sure, I guess.” I was sort of wordless, caught by surprise at his request. Kyle had never invited me to his place for dinner. Never. We normally ate outside or at my place, but never his.
“Good.” He picked his pen up and continued drawing.
Kyle had some kind of unspoken rule about his place. It was basically in and out, no staying over, so I had to ask, “Are you sure?” Not going to lie, I had my doubts.
With a shy chuckle, his eyes never left the piece of paper on the table as he answered, “Yes, Tiff, I’m sure.”
The air between us had taken on a warm vibe. Was this a step forward in our thing?
“Okay, well, I have a few things to do before tonight, so what time do you want me?” His eyes darted up to me and I hurried to add, “To arrive?” as I got to my feet and prepared to leave.
He watched me, frowning at my abrupt departure. “Um, how about six or seven?”
“I’ll be round at half past six, then,” I said giving him a quick hug then leaving the shop.
His invitation to dinner had to have a special meaning, I was sure of it, which made me nervous. Before joining him tonight a shower was needed, and so was a waxing. Not that I had a habit of not taking care of myself, but because I wanted to be perfect.
As the afternoon hours flew by, I dressed pretty and put on my favorite perfume, but kept my overall look casual. He knew me, I didn’t need to impress him or show off my best features. Kyle had seen it all. Yet, the thought of spending time with him at his place was nerve wracking.
Why now? Why me?
I took several deep breaths while standing in front of his door. Smooth music played on the other side, a mix of jazz and techno music. Surprising choice. Everything was surprising me about Kyle today.
Knocking on the door, mere seconds lapsed before he opened it, like he’d been waiting for me. The door ajar, we both stared at each other. He wasn’t wearing his usual beanie, or a hat, and the sleeves of his baseball tee were pushed up to his elbows, letting his ink show. Tonight, his hair—which was shaved on each side of his head but long enough on top to reach his chin—was slicked back and styled, and I loved it. The last time he’d looked so good was at Levi and Nix’s wedding. While simple, there was something extra about Kyle tonight.
“Come on in,” he welcomed me, and his hand landed in the small of my back as I passed him.
“Thank you. It smells really good in here.”
“Dinner is almost ready. I hope you like it.”
“When did you have time to cook? Didn’t you just get here?” He worked until six o’clock.
“I finished early, today.”
“Oh.”
In the living room, a bottle a wine sat already opened and breathing on the small coffee table.
“Are you thirsty?”
“Yes.”
Kyle sat first on the couch, and then I sat next to him. It was seeming this dinner had been planned in advance. He knew exactly what he was doing, and it made me nervous. I could feel something was going to happen tonight, but wasn’t sure what. Kyle’s rules had always been clear, but tonight, they were blurring. Or at least, I thought so.
With a finger, he freed my hair from the side of my face, pushing it back over my shoulder. The unexpected move more than surprised me.
“Tiff, there’s something I want to tell you.”
Shit, I don’t like the sound of this. My heart started beating faster, and I swallowed. “Okay.”
He took a moment, watching me with wonder in his eyes before saying, “You know about Cassidy. How much I love her and miss her, and how bad my life has been since the day she was taken from me.”
I nodded, wondering where he was going with this, as my stomach tightened.
“And then, you came into my life.” He paused, I smiled, and our eyes met. “That first night, you were cold. Taking control, you had that ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude that hit me head-on. You acted the way I normally did with women, and trust me, you didn’t go unnoticed or get forgotten. I really hoped to see you again.”
“And you did…”
“When I realized who you were, I knew I had to set boundaries. I know that makes me selfish, or a hypocrite, but I wanted to keep our late nights rather than a friendship. And I did try to keep that up, but it wasn’t long before you came into the shop and demanded more than sex.”
Nervous, I started laughing. “That was one hell of a day, wasn’t it?”
“I had a really hard time letting you in, giving you just enough space in my heart so that we’re friends and nothing else. My heart has been scarred for a long time and has never fully healed,” he explained looking right through me.
His body tense next to mine, this moment was dragging—and slowly killing me.
“But your presence in my life is slowly patching up the wounds, and I’m starting to feel again. I’ve tried to push away thoughts of you in my head long enough. I can’t anymore, Tiff. I want more from us. I know you have baggage, too, and I haven’t always shown you my good side, but I’m hoping you feel the same way. Let’s take a chance on us.”
“Are you sure? I won’t be able to go back to how things were if you change your mind.” It would break me.
He covered my knee with his hand. “Tiff, we’ll take it slow. I haven’t dated in forever, and I don’t want to fuck this up.”
“We won’t.” Why does my voice sound so hopeful? I must take it easy as well. One step at a time.
Our eyes locked, and no more words were spoken. There was no need. We didn’t move either, trying to let our new thing settle for a minute or two. Get used to it, if possible. Using a single finger, he contoured the side of my cheek. Oh, god.
“I hadn’t planned on fessing up to you about this so fast, but you are stunning tonight, and I want to kiss you.”
Blood rushed to my cheeks giving me a warm sensation. Why do I blush so bloody much? I had to focus on better control. Fuck it.
“Kiss me, Kyle,” I murmured in such a needy way, I didn’t recognize myself.
Within a tick, his lips crashed on mine and his arms were lifting me up on his lap. I had kissed him before, but never like this. Gone was the coldness of his heart, his lust and need transferred into his lips to drive me wild with desire. His hands caressed my arms and back drawing circles all over me. Something had switched in him; I never would’ve guessed how gentle and soft he could be.
The alarm from the oven started beeping but I didn’t let it stop me. I wanted to keep kissing him until our mouths went dry.
“Dinner’s ready, beautiful,” Kyle interrupted our moment.
He pulled away with a happy grin on his face, and I watched him, frowning. He’d left me wanting more. “How could you?” I asked.
Kyle shrugged. “Aren’t you hungry? I’ve been thinking about kissing you like that for weeks, but the night is still young, we have all the time we want.”
“I could leave now,” I teased him.
“We both know you won’t.”
He knows me better than I realized. I chuckled, but in my mind was still having a hard time believing all the barriers had fallen down.
As if he knew I didn’t want to be apart from him, he pulled me up from the couch and wrapped his arms around my waist while nuzzling his nose into my neck. I loved it.
“Come, beautiful, I have to feed you.”
I let him guide me. My body drunk from his touch, I would have done just about anything he wanted at this point, which was so unlike me. Kyle, the one who couldn’t make up his mind about us being friends, now wanted more. The thought made me consider running away, because based on my history, we were meant to fail. It had taken us weeks to balance our thing – our friendship. We could never be the same now.
With one kiss, everything had changed. Again.
“I hope you’re hungry, beautiful.” Hefting me with those strong, inked arms of his, he set me on the counter of the kitchen island. From my perch, I watched him work on the final touches of our dinner. The smells, the music, and him in this new light… there was no resisting Kyle anymore.
As Levi had mentioned to Nix, who pointed it out to me, Kyle never used to smile or laugh as much as he did now. Could I be the reason for his sudden happiness? I had no idea, but the possibility scared me a bit. While I’d adored kissing him, and was craving the next opportunity, our future had me in knots.
Just let yourself go, for once.
Lost in my thoughts, a kiss on my forehead brought me back to reality. “Are you okay?”
“Yes… I’m– I,” I stuttered. “I didn’t expect a night like this. It’s surprising.”
He stepped closer, wedging between my legs. “I think I can make you happy, Tiffany. If you’ll let me.”
Kyle had no idea how big the task was that he was asking of me. “I’m complicated. And a pain in the ass most of the time.”
“You think I don’t know that, already?” He chuckled. “Haven’t we both suffered enough?”
“All I can promise is that I’ll try, Kyle.” I leaned toward him and pressed my lips against his. As my hands reached for his neck, the rush returned. No matter what, I could never deny the chemistry we shared. Still getting used to the idea of us but enjoying the benefits, I loved this moment.
“Okay, dinner now. Your stomach just growled again. We’ve got all night to get familiar.” He waggled his brows, turning the word ‘familiar’ into something suggestive while I processed what he’d said. All night.
He wanted to keep me for the night. I was in shock. This was real.
Holding a plate of appetizers in one hand, he took a crisp with the other and dipped it in the guacamole, then slowly brought it to my mouth. Eyes wide open, and fixed on Kyle, I let him feed me, as he’d requested. The rumbling of my heart kept getting stronger and stronger.
“Mm-hmm. Not bad,” I admitted with a teasing shrug. It tasted amazing.
“Not bad indeed,” he scoffed. “It reminds me of Los Cabos. Things started becoming clearer for me when we shared that room, and when we went to the local restaurant together. For the first time, I tried to imagine my life with someone other than Cassidy,” Kyle said calmly.
Any time he’d talked about Cassidy in the past, his words were laced with sadness. Not this time, though. Shaking my head to stop the analyzing of his emotions, I focused back on the words he had spoken. “With me? You want a life with me, Kyle?”
He ate a crisp, nodded at me, and then fed me some more guacamole. That simple!
“We’ve been good friends, Tiff. But I’m positive you feel the chemistry when we’re together, too. I seriously don’t think we can do wrong by giving us a try.”
Kyle had a point.
“Of course.” I tried controlling the smile on my face but it was a lost cause. Grabbing his t-shirt with both hands, I yanked him close so fast he almost dropped the plate. “Kiss me,” I ordered, and he responded with a grunt.
We kissed hard and fast, making the seconds count, and then he stopped to feed me more. Marinated green olives this time.
Please don’t be heavy with garlic dressing, I plead in silence. Kissing and garlic never made a strong team.
“If your plans are to make me gain weight, you’re off to a good start.”
Laughing, he backed away as he popped another bite of guacamole into his mouth to retrieve the main meal from the oven. It looked like the cheese enchiladas we’d eaten together in Los Cabos.
“I’m sensing that Los Cabos is the theme of the night,” I said, recalling the great memories we’d made.
“You remember?” he asked, surprised.
What? Like I would have forgotten. “Of course, I do. I’m not that old yet,” I joked.
We ate in silence and I kept my distance. I found myself staring at him quite a few times while my mind registered we were switching from ‘friends’ to ‘boyfriend and girlfriend’. Butterflies swirled throughout my body, reacting to this new reality. It was an amazing feeling to know that someone cared this way about me.
“It’s delicious, but I can’t eat anymore. The night has been so overwhelming, I’m afraid my appetite’s been cut short.”
He waved a hand at me. “No worries. I can’t say I’m still hungry either.” I chuckled at Kyle as he pushed away his plate and rubbed his belly, or shall I say abs. Hello, six pack. He stretched his arms, elongating his back. “Sorry, long day at the shop, I’m exhausted.”
“Want to watch a movie or something? You know, take it easy for the rest of the night. I’m just happy I have a night off.”
“I don’t know how you pull it off. I wouldn’t be able to work like you do. Working late every night isn’t all you do. You have to smile all the time and at least act like you’re having fun, even when you don’t feel like it. I’ve seen how hard you girls work, night after night.”
I’d asked myself many times why I wasn’t looking for a better job, but in the end, the club was entertaining, so I stayed.
“It isn’t that bad. We almost always have fun, but yeah, some nights are worse than others. It can’t be great all the time. The drunk idiots know how to ruin a night.”
Kyle laughed at that, and I watched him. Although I hadn’t known him long, I knew how rare his smile was. Even rarer was for him to be carefree, like tonight. It touched me; I felt lucky, and special.
“Come with me?” Offering me his hand, I took it, and our fingers entwined. His hand was bigger and enveloped mine easily. It made me feel protected in a way.
Reaching the couch, he sat first, in the corner, and then settled me between his legs with my back pressed to his chest. Once I was comfortable, he put his arms around mine and held me prisoner. I loved the feeling yet it seemed surreal. Using my fingers, I drew small swirls on his legs over his jeans. We didn’t talk, we were enjoying each other.
“Do you want to watch a movie, or I can change the music, if you’d like?”
“Whatever you want is fine with me, Kyle.”
“I have a couple of movies like The Crow or some paranormal movies. We can also watch something on Netflix, if you want?”
Kyle was acting nervous. He wanted me to have a good time, I could tell.
“The Crow, the one with Brandon Lee?”
“Yeah. It’s the best, in my opinion. Do you want to watch it?” he asked, his voice vibrating with excitement.
“Sure.” I loved the movie anyway, even if it was an old one, so why deny him.
It turned out Kyle had already set up and had it ready to watch.