Page 177 of Right Man, Right Time
My cheeks blush as I realize that is so true.
“So what are the plans for when I’m gone?” he asks as he wipes his mouth with a napkin.
“Wallow in self-pity because my fine-ass boyfriend won’t be around.”
He wiggles his eyebrows. “Just the answer I was looking for.”
I nudge his shoulder with mine playfully and say, “I don’t know. Probably try to catch up on schoolwork. Watch the games with Ross now that he’s an addict. Work out of course. Not too much.”
“Are you behind on schoolwork?”
“Just a little. I’m not one who likes to procrastinate. It’s why it really bothered me to take so long on that article for Roberts. I just like to get my stuff done and not have it hang over me. But ever since I started seeing this guy, he seems to consume a lot of my time.”
“Hmm, he sounds like bad news.” Silas takes a bite of his sandwich.
“Yeah, he’s not too bad. But I figured the best time to catch up is when you’re on your away trips. Kind of works out nicely. Spend time with you, catch up on schoolwork.”
“Are you going to be going out?”
He’s fishing for information, and I don’t know why, but I find it endearing in a weird sort of way.
“Are you asking if I plan on going out to clubs and dancing the night away while my boyfriend is gone?”
“You said it,” he says, and I know he’s joking, but there’s also a layer of insecurity inside him. He might trust me, but he still battles that niggling doubt. So I make it easy on him.
I press my hand to his and say, “I don’t plan on going out, not without you.” He glances up at me, those ice-blue eyes piercing my very soul, and I have this overwhelming sense of affection for him. Consuming and almost paralyzing because, at this moment, I know . . . I know I love him.
My heart is screaming at me to say it, to tell him how I truly feel. But my brain is slamming on the brakes. It might not be the best idea, not when he still seems a touch flighty and not sure of himself. I don’t want to scare him away. That’s the last thing I want.
“If you wanted to go out . . .” He pauses and swallows. “That’s your choice, and I’d be fine with it.”
I set my sandwich down and face him. “I appreciate that, but just so you know, I don’t need that in my life. I have you now, and that’s all I need. So don’t worry about me when you’re gone, okay?”
He nods and then lets out a deep sigh. “I’m sorry. I’m still trying to regain that sense of trust.” He presses the heel of his palm to his forehead. “Sarah really fucked me up.”
“I get it, and I have no problem being patient while you figure it all out. But I need you to know something about me, Silas. I hate cheaters, so I’d never become one. I’m with you, so in my mind, that’s that.”
He presses his finger under my chin and brings me in close. He stares at me for a heartbeat, and for a moment, I almost think he’s going to say exactly what I’m feeling—it seems like it’s on the tip of his tongue—but then he closes the rest of the space between us and kisses me lightly on the lips.
“Thank you for understanding me.”
“No need to thank me,” I say as I grab my sandwich. “We understand each other, hence this giant sandwich in my hands. You know what I like.”
“I do.” He smirks. “Sandwiches, pickles, and my cock.”
“In precisely that order.”
His brow raises, causing me to laugh. “That exact order?”
“Yup, that exact order.”
* * *
To:Ollie Owens
From: Alan Roberts
Subject: Article
