Chapter 69

Hal

Hal headed for the sink and put their plates, knives, and forks in the bottom of it, then flipped on the hot water.

“Here,” Hal heard Jesse from behind him, and he turned to face her, raising an eyebrow. “Let me do that.”

“No, you don’t need to do that.” Hal shook his head and did not move from his place in front of the sink.

“Please, it’s the least I can do,” Jesse protested. “You cooked, so it’s only fair that I clean up the mess.”

Hal scowled, but he could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t going to back off until he let her do what she wanted. In all honesty, it amused him more than anything else, and her insistence on not letting him spoil her was part of what attracted him to her in the first place.

“Alright,” Hal relented with a sigh. “There’s the soap and sponge.”

Hal backed away from the sink and let Jesse take care of the dishes. He watched her for a moment, letting his eyes linger on the calm, happy expression on her face. He felt warmth inside of him at knowing that she felt so peaceful. It was much more relaxed than the slight tightness that she carried in her expression whenever they were out in public together.

Hal had his suspicions that that was what was weighing so heavily on her mind. He knew that she was likely extremely worried about always being in the public eye. Hal had to admit that he didn’t have much of an answer for that. And if he was perfectly honest with himself, it made him a little afraid that Jesse would change her mind about being in a relationship at all.

Hal tried to keep himself calm, and he set about cleaning the various things off the island and putting them back in the fridge. He took a paper towel from the counter behind him, wet it in the sink on the island, then cleaned off the counter.

When he was done, he tossed the damp paper towel into the trash and leaned against the counter as he watched Jesse dry the last of the dishes. When she had finished drying the last of them, he moved over and started to help her put them away.

“Hey,” she scolded him, frowning playfully up at him. “I can do that.”

“You don’t know where any of it goes,” Hal returned, smiling down at her. “And I don’t think you’re tall enough to reach the cabinets.”

“What?” Jesse scoffed, seeming a little outraged. “Of course I can.”

“Well,” Hal shrugged and let out a sigh. “My mistake then. Maybe you can get it next time.”

Jesse huffed. In the time it had taken for them to have their disagreement, Hal had already taken care of putting the dishes away. He smirked down at her, and she rolled her eyes. Hal leaned down, placed a kiss on her cheek and then wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight to his body.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s go sit in the living room.”

Jesse nodded and allowed him to lead her out of the room. Hal couldn’t help noticing that she was still dressed only in his white undershirt. While it was certainly distracting, he had already spent himself quite a bit, and while it was certainly alluring, his arousal did not manifest itself in an erection.

They crossed into the living room, and Hal sat beside Jesse on the couch. He watched as she drew her legs up on the couch, curling them beneath her. She then laid down on her side, resting her head in Hal’s lap. Hal couldn’t help being a little surprised by her behavior. Even as subtle as this was, she never seemed to be the one to make the first moves.

However, that certainly wasn’t the first time of the day. Hal felt a shiver as he remembered her boldness in the kitchen.

Still, this somehow seemed more genuine as it wasn’t charged by sexual energy. So, Hal gently stroked her hair as her head rested in his lap, enjoying the simple, pleasant nearness of her.

Even so, Hal felt a pit forming in his stomach. He worried more than a little regarding her reservations about keeping her private life out of the public eye. He didn’t want that to be the reason that she didn’t stay with him.

Hal was a little surprised at just how much he was worried about it. He worked through the possibilities in his mind and wondered how he could convince her that it wouldn’t be an issue.

But if he was honest with himself, he knew very well that it was just going to be a reality. He could offer her false consolations and promises that the media would stay away from them, but in the end, he knew he had very little control over that. And in the end, he knew he couldn’t lie to her.

Hal was shocked at just how anxious he was becoming from just thinking about all this. He mentally calmed himself down, knowing that he was perfectly capable of coming up with a solution if he would just keep himself calm long enough to get the words out.

Hal was a little unnerved that even the thought of losing Jesse for any reason was so unthinkable to him. In reality, they hadn’t been seeing each other for very long, and they had only officially entered into a relationship the previous night.

Somehow, though, the time didn’t seem to matter. He wanted to be with her, and he would say and do whatever he had to do to keep her in his life for as long as possible.